May 6

Brothers, 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 of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. — Phil 3:13-14 BSB

The kind of faith that falls short of trusting in, grasping, and resting upon the Son of God in His finished work is not the kind of faith that God will recognize or approve. The love that never labors to enter into the mysteries of His dying love will be found to be more a matter of lip service than of heart and life. The hope that anchors itself in anything less than the finished work of Christ is a brittle chain that will snap in the first heavy storm, or a weak piece of metal that will break under pressure.

Do not be content with merely knowing a few doctrines or having a superficial understanding of the truth. Do not settle for fleeting thoughts and feelings, or passing convictions and desires. Press forward to understand the deep mysteries of the gospel as the food for your soul. Seek to know the Son of God not only as a crucified man, not only as the one who sweat blood in Gethsemane and suffered on the cross at Calvary, but press on to know Him as the exalted God-man Mediator, seated at the right hand of the Father. He lives forever to make intercession for us, and He is able to save completely all who come to God through Him.

Press on to experience Him as your living Head, from whom you, as a member of His body, receive grace. The Psalmist speaks of "the dew of His youth"—this refers to the fruits of His resurrection, ascension, and glorification, made real to us by the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. Press on to experience more of the power of the gospel you profess. Let it fill your soul more fully, and let it show forth more clearly in your actions, your words, and your life.