Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14
We read about the accomplishments and work of the Apostle Paul with a sense of wonder. How was it possible for one man to start so many churches, write so many books of the Bible, preach so many sermons, and touch so many lives? How could anyone endure the afflictions, persecution, opposition, beatings, imprisonment, and more and keep on serving God faithfully? The answer is found in the commitment Paul made and the tenacity with which he followed it.
None of the things he endured took Paul by surprise. God told him through Ananias what he could expect from a life of service to God. “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16). The fact that things are hard or don’t go the way we want them to does not mean we should give up and quit. Instead we should remain committed to obeying and serving God for as long as we live. Only then will our work be acceptable in His eyes.
President Calvin Coolidge wrote, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
