Echo..... Musings from the Memorial Weekend

Philippians 3.12 - 14

Echo..... a sound heard again near its source after being reflected..... to repeat words, sentiments, or the character of...... And we, with unveiled faces reflecting/ beholding like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect. This is the work of the Lord who is Spirit... II Cor 3.18.

This weekend, I realized that the end goal of my life is to know Christ. I really get bogged down in that pursuit and I find that peripherals become my focus..... often my passion. If I am going to really be about substance in my life. Really, if I am going to live for something of worth, then I must begin with the end in mind. The end.... the ultimate pursuit of life is this amazing man named Jesus. He stand as that "one thing I do"..... I'm not there, but I am pressing with my deepest passion to get there. I am straining to not do what seems to be so 'intuitive' - look at cones..... trip up on life over peripherals. I really want peripherals to be just that... peripheral. I want to know Christ. I want to know Him from experience. I want to know Him from encounter. I want to progressively, intimately, and passionately live in pursuit of Him. I want the end goal of my life to be about Him, His glory, His purpose, His ways... Him!

I think that the point of the weekend is really summed up in our end goal. I really am not sure that everyone who is a follower of Christ really follows. An echo is, by definition, a sound heard again near its source after being reflected. I have to remain close to the source. I have to live, not with many magnificent obsessions. Instead, one pure and holy passion... one glorious ambition.... one magnificent obsession - to Know Christ and follow HARD after Him. I think that we have to consider, contemplate, think much about the end goal of our lives. If we are going to train for life, then what is the target? Who am I training to become? I think that we should think about that alot. I think if we don't think about who we want to become, then we will not become. So, what.... or Who is the end goal? Life decisions will be made based upon the answer to that question. Who is the end goal? An echo will or will not occur based upon the answer to that question. Who is the end goal? The capacity to reflect the glory of God is based upon the answer to that question. Paul is asking us to train for life. He does not see this as a haphazard pursuit. In fact, he's a bit intense. Training begins with an end goal. Paul says, I'm not there yet, but I know the end goal and that goal is the absolute, radical passion to live for the upward, pressing goal found in Christ alone. Basically, he says he will give everything he has to reach that goal... the passionate cry to know and be one with the heartbeat of Christ. What about you? What about me?

Honestly, I want to make a difference... I want my life to echo throughout eternity. It's memorial day, and I have spent the better part of the day with friends. We spent a few minutes around the table 'remembering' people in our lives who have given their lives for our country. Two of the guys I ate with are or have been about that very deal. A patriotic echo! An echo of freedom....... That's what today is about. I think that is what the message of Christ is about.... an echo of freedom. Not political, governmental, or social. Christ' message is an echo of freedom that is eternal. I want to be about that, which means I want to know the source of that cry.

I want to 'behold' Him so that I can 'become' the man He intends.... I really want to press and strain to become! After all, what I do on earth will echo throughout eternity. Maybe, at the end of my life, the only echo flowing from my life will be about the Source. Maybe the only echo will be a resounding, to Him be all glory and honor and praise and dominion forever and ever and ever and ever and...... Yeah, that will have been a well lived life! I am small, He is huge.

Drop any thoughts you might like to add by clicking on comments below. Enjoy Memorial Day. Enjoy Freedom!

Mark