I Focus on "IT" as my Reality

 As I stood knee deep on the steps of my pool, I looked up and saw the beautiful handiwork of puffy clouds, the fading whisper of the moon with the backdrop of soft blue skies breaking forth in warmth & light. I remembered the opening Psalm of my morning Bible time and marveled that I, too, can cry out with the Psalmist to the Most High God who made these gorgeous heavens!
"Oh! Lord you are my INHERITANCE!
You are my cup of blessing!
You guard all that is mine!!" Psalm 16:1

I can claim Him as my inheritance!
He is my cup of 'encouragement'!
He guards all that He has declared is mine!
I can shout this praise because The Holy Spirit, my Guide, has shown me all these declarations in Scriptures, His manual for living pleasing to God. He taught me to claim these in "my high calling", the purpose & plan the Lord has promised me. My heart bows in humble adoration!
How can IT be? 

This semester, I began reading a devotional book with a group of ladies which I now realize will characterize another trek on the path of my spiritual mountain climbing. I realize the culmination all my journal entries are like a book review for others on the same trek. I returned to this blog to journal and invite companions to join me. The book is THE JORDAN RIVER RULES by Robert J Margan. I hope my friends comment so that I am taught & encouraged through what they are taught in Scriptures because they allowed the Holy Spirit to use this book to enhance their trek.
I hope my posts communicate my growing treasured love for Scripture as the Holy Spirit, my Guide points my heart to deeper truth. Even though I will use the study book to begin my weekly steps, I will rely on Scriptures for deeper digging. Remember, 1 Corinthians 10:6 & 11 tell us that sturdying OT accounts of God dealing with the tribes of Israel are written as spiritual warnings and as examples to guide us today in our spiritual walk with Christ. 
From a child, you have known the holy Scriptures." I now rely on them to make me wise unto salvation through Jesus Christ, my Lord" God's revealed declarations have become my constant precious word companions!     

The first "rule" from this Study book is "GO FORWARD" 
A pause in vocabulary so we're on the same page. "Rules" are guidelines for behavior practices. When gives an instruction in practice, I want to know "HOW" I practice. I read the author's opinions, stories, testimonies and examples of what the Guide has taught him through life & in Scriptures.

So, as usual, I didn't get far into the chapter before I paused in one suggested passage to dig deeper in HOW to practice "going forward". How does one GO FORWARD? Philippians 3:13 "No, dear brothers & sisters, I have not achieved IT, but I FOCUS on this one thing: FORGETTING the past and LOOKING FORWARD to what lies ahead," 

QUESTIONS:
What is IT?
What one thing takes my FOCUS?
How does one FOCUS on IT?
I have to solidify the "IT" & understand how Paul LOOKED FORWARD to IT.
Reading the whole chapter helps me know the context of one verse. Quoting from the NLT gave me clues for the IT addressed in this verse. 
(1) "I never tired of telling you THESE THINGS to safeguard your faith.
(9) For His sake I have discarded everything else...so I could GAIN Christ and BECOME ONE WITH HIM. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law, rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us RIGHT with Him depends on FAITH. 
I want to KNOW Christ and EXPERIENCE the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will EXPERIENCE the resurrection from the dead!
(12) I don't mean to say I have already achieved "THESE THINGS" or that I have already REACHED PERFECTION. But I press on to POSSESS that PERFECTION for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  
(14) I press on to reach the END of the race & receive the HEAVENLY PRIZE for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us. 

 FORGETTING my own righteousness trhough obeying the Law,  I LOOK [put all my focus] FORWARD on becoming righteous through faith in Christ. 
The context refers IT to be my "heavenly calling" or what God declares about mey reality through Jesus, my Lord. Titus 3:3-8 God declares me righteous. 2 Co 3:16-18 declares that when I turned to the Lord, my ability to SEE is no longer veiled. I can LOOK at His FACE and this transforms my BEING into HIS IMAGE!
"So all of us who have had that veil removed can SEE and REFLECT the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like HIM as we are changed into His glorious image." (18)
2 Co 4:6 defines this sight even more. "For God who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this Life shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is SEEN in the FACE of Jesus Christ." 
Paul admits, like so many of us, that he hasn't achieved all that WILL BE, because we all carry that GREAT TREASURE of God's GLORY in fragile clay jars, but our FOCUS is LOOKING FORWARD.
We encourage each other to press toward to achieving the prize of SEEING as God sees. 

                                            How can IT be?
                                                   Amazing Love... GOD'S WAY.
It is taking FAITH in the unseen as guaranteed FACT.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that FAITH is EVIDENCE of the unseen.
For God's way of making us RIGHT with Him depends on FAITH. 
2 Corinthians 5:21 declares "God made Jesus who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God". 
Hebrews 10:14 declares "For by that one offering HE forever made perfect those He has set apart as holy"
ONE offering made me just like Jesus & now, I am able to approach a Holy God! 

Each day, my natural SIGHT of reality struggles. As human,  I can only see the outward appearance! Many distort the vision with opinions & speculations. Only the Holy Spirit can give spiritual sight. He has chosen the BIBLE as the guide. Before reading Scriptures, I pray for the Holy Spirit to “open my eyes so I SEE Jesus reflected in me". Without Scriptural faith, no matter what I do, I just don't SEE "perfect" GLORY. 
We are just like the disciples in Mark 10 who drew Jesus aside to get further instruction on what it takes to inherit eternal life. They exclaimed exactly what we know in our hearts! If my inheritance of eternal life depends on me completely obeying the 10 commandmentsy, it's IMPOSSIBLE!!  It's impossible even when summed up in 2 parts of love. Just his one heart-word cuts me off.     . 
The rich young ruler attempted to obey all the right things. He kept the 10 commandments. He had great riches and could do all kinds of things to appear right. He looked successful. Yet, he still questioned his destiny & inheritance. He knew he could not exclaim with the Psalmist "O LORD! YOU are my INHERITANCE!" Something was missing. Striving hard with every resource available, still left him empty of promise! Obeying God's commands faithfully still left him hopelessly without the guarantee of eternal life!"
John 17:3 declares "THIS is eternal life - to KNOW You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth." 
The rich young ruler didn't KNOW GOD. He didn’t even recognize the exact image of God in Jesus as he stood before him. He called Jesus a good teacher, a good wise man. He did not know Jesus was the source of eternal life. He was relying on the world's treasures & riches to help him DO all the right things. Jesus focused on who the young man was, his state of BEING. Jesus summarized this state of being with one word "LOVE". The rich young ruler needed to BECOME LOVE. 
LOVE God & LOVE neighbor. 
The rich young ruler lacked LOVE. 
To become LOVE is a complete new creation. It is a new birth. It is a new heart.
BECOMING LOVE does not include anything one can DO in the old natural state. The old heart cannot LOVE.   He walked away sorrowful.
"With man, it is IMPOSSIBLE". Man cannot change his state of BEING. It is impossible. 
But Jesus declared "With God, all THESE THINGS are possible!" 
Jesus told the disciples WITH GOD – becoming a new creation, a LOVE BEING, is possible.
On the cross the LOVE of God through Jesus would declare "All things have become NEW."
To those who receive Christ, God gives the right to BECOME the righteousness of God (Jn 1:12); the new creation (2 Co 5:17; Gal 6:15). This new birth biblically declares one BECOME: transformed into His image, perfect, holy, righteous, complete, pure, sinless, 'just like Jesus'.
The Son of God, sent in love, gave HIS LOVE offering and as God, HE made this POSSIBLE.

I HAVE NOT ACHIEVED could read: I JUST DON'T SEE IT!
I'm not convinced yet without seeing, so like Paul, I must depend on FAITH to SEE I am right with God through Christ. I am a NEW CREATION. I have a NEW HEART. Old things are passed away, behold, ALL things have become NEW. 
By faith, I believe His Word declares this truth and I cling to the promise until I SEE IT..
This takes Faith..
The EVIDENCE of unseen SIGHT, the substance of anchored Hope. (Heb 11:1)  
Right now, there are arguments why I don't see IT: 
The glass has been darkened by the world around me.
I don't know Christ completely. 
I have not experienced His mighty power in resurrection.                                          
My feelings deceive & dull my sight like spiritual cataracts. 
My mind needs to be renewed so that I'm totally convinced I SEE.
No encouragement is offered because others constantly remind me of faltering steps...

BUT BY FAITH, I PRESS FORWARD to BEING LOVE like Jesus. 
1 John 3:2-3 declares "NOW are we the sons of God (just like Him). 
NOW, you are God's image, looking just like His Son. Perfect, holy, complete, washed, clean, pure, blameless, without spot, alive, righteous...
Hard to grasp! It just doesn't "appear" (SHOW) yet. IT is not SIGHT yet. 
Oh! That IT would be my sight! How I long eagerly for IT!       

Until then... I live by FAITH! 
I believe God's declaration, daily in discipline & practice: 
"Let this mind be in you as it was in Christ Jesus"
WHY? My Jesus saw IT and declared IT to be truth.
My Jesus SAW the heavenly prize and my Jesus shouted in victory "IT is FINISHED"!
IT is finished becomes my true REALITY.
1 John 3:2 tells us that Christ is the REALITY I long to see. 
"BUT we KNOW - when He shows up - we will look alike - because we will SEE Him as He is! "   

Another passage describes IT like this: The mirror we gaze in now is all cloudy & dim, but we will see clearly. We will see HIM. In all of His Glory!
My SIGHT will SEE the PERFECT reflection of Glory when the darkness clears!
                         ISN'T THAT AMAZING?!
I cannot fully describe it now for I do not know what I shall be, but I know I shall be like Him - for I shall SEE him as He is. (As God has declared me to be now). 
This HOPE...this REALITY...I press toward the evidence by purifying my 'outward appearance' (my behavior). I'm learning to copy what Scriptures teach me about Him. THESE THINGS describe Jesus. So, I train my focus to be learning His ways: how He pleased God, how He talked, His thoughts & prayers, His truthful character, His obedience to His Father, His fulfillment of the commandments, his purity, His love & forgiveness...
AND I imitate. 
I IMAGE HIM. I image LOVE. I take every thought captive and train my mind to think LOVE like Jesus.
By faith, I believe God's declaration. I want to be just like what He has declared about me. Everything I've learned about Jesus has taken me captive. I am overwhelmed by His LOVE. I am captivated. I adore Him. 
I find I want to IMAGE everything I know about Him!
THESE THINGS are my focus. 
I make IT is my only focus. 
I press toward this heavenly prize! 
LORD, YOU are my INHERITANCE!!  
I will soon SEE you FACE to FACE.