Wouldn’t it be great to wake up one day and discover that you’re magically on top of your game?  That you conquered your mountain, accomplished your goals and became the person you dreamed of becoming?

Crazy, right? Because we know it doesn’t work like that.  It takes effort, perseverance, hard work, and sometimes even scary risks that are way outside our comfort zone.

But when it comes to our spirituality, should it be hard?  Didn’t Jesus even say,

My yoke is easy and my burden is light.  (Matthew 11:30)

Yes.  But he also (repeatedly) mentioned things like,

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)

Because no one ever drifts into greatness. (Tweet this)

This year we’re challenging each of us to press on…to lean hard into the journey that Jesus calls us to.  Is that an “easy yoke” and a “light burden”?  Yes it is, when compared to the burden of sin, and the burden of legalism, and the burden of trying to fix myself and make myself presentable in God’s sight.  It’s not something we do out of guilt or shame or fear.

But will you drift into the life God created you for?  Nope.  None of us will.  That’s why our new series, “Press On,” is built on the compelling words of Paul in Philippians 3:12

But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Not to work ourselves into exhaustion or to pin some kind of religious medal to our chest, but to become the person that God designed us to be…that we long to be.

If you missed last weekend at Seneca Creek, be sure to pick up a copy of the “Press On” magazine this weekend.  You’ll need that roadmap to understand how we’re going to work together to Discover, Grow and Lead in the coming year.  You can also listen in to the podcast by clicking here.

And I hope you’ll be able to join us this weekend as we continue to “Press On with HOPE.”  It’s a lot more than wishful thinking.  It’s life-changing, world-changing stuff!

– Pastor Mark

P.S. Beginning in October we’ll suspend our Saturday gatherings and switch to three (3) Sunday morning gatherings at 8:30, 10:00 and 11:30.  Mark your calendars and get ready for an exciting change!