I was having a particularly bad dream bordering on a nightmare. Everyone was pointing their fingers at me and screaming how bad of a person I was. They named off a litany of wrongs I had committed. I do not remember the wrongs they listed. I do remember the utter hopelessness I felt.
Then, I gained my voice and screamed, “I am redeemed.” The voices stopped and His peace filled me. I remember waking up still feeling that peace and saying to myself, “I am redeemed.” I realized at that moment that my redemption in Christ had an additional meaning.
Besides my redemption from the penalty of sin and the power of sin, my life is in a state of redemption every day. Yes, everything they accused me of was probably true. I am not perfect and often make mistakes. Making mistakes, however, does not made me a mistake. Additionally, God has redeemed me with all my mistakes.
As I thought about my mistakes and Paul’s words that he presses on (Philippians 3:14), I realized that he did not press on to perfection as we often think we must. He did not press on to not make mistakes. He did not press on to meet other people’s expectations. He pressed on to the upward call in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, the question before us is, “What is the upward call in Christ Jesus?” I think Paul answers the question a few verses later with the encouragement,
“…let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
Philippians 3:16
The upward call is not to some higher standard or to some prescribed standard, but to the standard “to which we have attained.” In other words, I need to live to the standard God has worked in me. Not the standard He has worked in someone else. Not the standard I may attain tomorrow. But, to the standard God has worked in me for today. Each day I am free to live for Him by faith. By the faith, He has given me. I do not have to live in despair about the mistakes of yesterday or the mistakes I may make today. God has redeemed my yesterday. He is redeeming this moment. He is redeeming this day. He will redeem my tomorrow. In other words, I do not need to perform for God or anyone else. I can press on to the upward call.
This does not mean I am free to sin. It does mean I am free not to sin. It also means that God has my back. I can just do my best and trust Him to cover all my shortcomings. I can trust Him to redeem my moments and empower me to live to the standard to which I have attained in Him. Our moments are redeemed.
Mary studied Mechanical Engineering as an undergraduate student. While studying she traded semesters working at NASA in Houston, Texas. It was while working at NASA that she felt the tug on her heart that God had another plan for her life. Upon graduation, Mary proceeded to serve as a missionary for the next 11 years of her life; she served in Greece the last two years of her service. Upon returning from Greece, she pursued her Master's degree in Counseling, which led to a job with a major university. It was while working there that God did what God faithfully does, she found herself working as an engineer again as she managed major construction projects for the university. She also pursued her Master's degree in Engineering Management and her Professional Engineering License. Mary now on her ministry and writing. When Mary left missionary service it was her desire to return to fulltime ministry one day. She had her first outline for a book in 1989 (a book she has yet to write). Her first book was published in May, 2014 with the second quickly on its heels in December, 2014. She continues to write and is developing an evangelistic series of books centered around Jesus Christ. Her prayer is that her books will bless others' relationships with our Father God and His word.