And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" And he said, "Who art thou, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." And he trembling and astonished said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" And the Lord said unto him, "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." Acts 9:4-6 KJV God's will is discernible. We can know our mission in this life. When God confronted Saul, he immediately asked, "What will You have me to do?" And, immediately, God gave direction. God wants us to ask the same question and then fulfill the plan He gives us.

Mediocrity is an enemy to fulfilling the mission. It means "halfway up the rugged mountain."* In Genesis, Abraham's nephew, Lot, settled for mediocrity. When leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, he was told to flee upward to the mountain, but he asked instead to go to a small town nearby (19:17-21). Lot chose less than complete obedience. In contrast, Paul always pressed for the high call, the original plan of God:

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 In the midst of the daily grind, when the pain of the past attempts to block your path, refuse to back down. Press into the purposes of God, knowing that your slate is completely wiped clean. Paul could have let guilt from his previous persecution of the church hold him back, but he moved forward knowing Jesus' blood covered it.
"Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19 Let go of the mistakes of the past and press into the mighty call of God!

God Bless You!

Pastor Jeff

. . . See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord. Colossians 4:17 NIV "Well I’m pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
To the higher calling of my Lord." —Bob Dylan

© 2008 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.