9.14- Kangaroos and Emus
9.14-
Kangaroos
and Emus Philippians
3:12-17 Bill
Crowder
Two of Australia’s indigenous creatures, kangaroos
and emus, have something in common – they seldom move backward. Kangaroos,
because of the shape of their body and the length of their strong tail, can
bounce along with forward movement, but they cannot shift easily into reverse.
Emus can run fast on their strong legs, but the joints in their knees seem to
make backward movement difficult. Both animals appear on Australia’s coat of
arms as a symbol that the nation is to be ever moving forward and making
progress.
The apostle Paul called for a similar
approach to the life of faith in his letter to the Philippians: “Brothers and
sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I
do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus” (3:13-14).
While
it is wise to learn from the past, we shouldn’t live in the past. We cannot
redo or undo the past, but by God’s grace we can press forward and serve God
faithfully today and in the future. The life of faith is a journey forward as
we become like Jesus.
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