Focus: Forward Ever!

Text: Ex.14:15

"Speak unto the children of Israel, that they GO FORWARD."

As Christians, our faith-life is a forward movement. It is making progress and advancing towards a glorious end. Peter talks about hoping to the end and "receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls," and he tells us that "the end of all things is at hand" (1Pet.1:9,13; 4:7). Our faith is meant to move towards a good and - a sure future and a joyous culmination of history.

God said to Moses to tell Israel to move forward, regardless of the Red Sea in front of them, the Egyptian army following on their heels, and the enemy-nations surrounding them. God urged them to advance to the place of their destination even when it looked like they were being trapped or entangled in a certain spot. 

One of God's commands to faith is: Forward ever and backward never. The Scripture says concerning Isaac, "And the man waxed great, and WENT FORWARD, and grew until he became very great" (Gen.26:13). Concerning David, the Scripture says, "So David waxed GREATER AND GREATER: for the LORD of hosts was with him" (1Chron.11:9). We read of Mordecai, "For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed GREATER AND GREATER" (Esth.9:4). 

As the people of faith, our lives are designed to move upwards, not downwards; forward, not backwards. Our faith is meant to wax stronger and greater than ever before.

Concerning the Lord's house, Haggai prophesies that "the glory of this latter house shall be GREATER than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts…" (Hag.2:9).

*From faith to faith

Our faith is not static; it is mobile. Our faith develops and rises to new levels. Paul says, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from FAITH TO FAITH…" (Rom.1:17). The righteousness approved by God is faith based at all levels and from start to finish. Our Christian life moves from one level of faith to another. We go from faith to faith, not from faith to the law or from faith to unbelief, doubt and fear. Faith begets faith. Faith leads to faith. Faith produces faith. It's faith all the way.

*Grace after grace

The river of grace ever rises to new levels. It grows, deepens and heightens. John writes, "And of his fulness have all we received, and GRACE FOR GRACE" (Jh.1:16). The little word 'for' can be translated as 'against,' 'after,' or 'upon.' The grace God has given us flows like a river. Like a tidal wave, we have received grace against grace. The wave of grace comes to us, one against the other. Like a surge of power, grace explodes on us, one after another. Like a mighty rain, grace cascades down from the throne of grace upon us. God heaps grace on us. We rise to new heights of grace. We go not from grace to disgrace or misery, but from grace to grace.

*From strength to strength

In our walk or race of faith we "go from STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God" (Ps.84:7). In our spiritual walk, work, worship and witness, we move forward and rise to new levels of strength. We move not from strength to weakness, but from strength to strength.

*From glory to glory

Paul writes, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from GLORY TO GLORY, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2Cor.3:18). We are changed not from glory to shame, but from glory to glory. We are constantly climbing up the ladder of glory. Our life gets better and better.

It is important for us to know, in conclusion, that our life of faith is progressive, not retrogressive. We are constantly going forward and rising upwards.

Solomon tells us, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth MORE AND MORE unto the perfect day" (Prov.4:18). We are moving closer to the perfect day and our path shines brighter each day.

*No going back or down

There is no going back for us. God warns us, "If any man DRAW BACK, my soul shall have no pleasure in him…" (Heb.10:38). In the next verse, the author of Hebrews says, "But we are not of them who DRAW BACK unto perdition…" (Heb.10:39). Backward never! To go backwards is the path of everlasting destruction. Jeremiah lamented, "But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and WENT BACKWARDS, and NOT FORWARD" (Jer.7:24). 

Let us not be like the people of Jeremiah's day, but like Paul, who says, "I press TOWARD the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:14). Let's go up in our faith-life. Let's make progress in our walk with our God. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter