I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:14)
Expanded Passage: Philippians 3:7-15
I have a friend, Megan, who was thirty-two years old when she made her fourth attempt to reach the Olympic trials. Each time she has just missed the mark by a hair. Because of her determination, many in our Bible study prayed for her as she prepared to run the trials. As opposed to the past, this time she had a training plan. She knew how she was going to run the race. Even when she was sick to her stomach the morning of the race, she stuck to her plan. Mile twenty-one was her stretch, and we all knew it. Last try she faded at twenty-one and could not go on. This time, prayers became intense on all sides. She kept to her plan, pressed on, and for the first time ever she ran in the trials that spring.
Scripture tells us about the importance of running the race set before us. We are told to press on, no matter the trials and tribulations that hinder our race. By pressing through the fear, boredom, or exhaustion, we, like Paul and Megan, will finish the race and claim the victory.
No matter how hard, how high, how wide your personal challenge, by pressing on in the power of God’s Holy Spirit toward the goal, you will win the victory.
Make a plan to press toward your goal.
M. Norman previously served as a writer for Light from the Word.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
