(12) I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Our lives are ordained by God, and we make it our ambition to please Him, to bring Him glory. As we consider His purpose for us, we recognize that the days we are given are to be used for Him. We are not promised tomorrow, that's for sure, but we also see that if by His will we are granted long lives, then He expects us to use the entirety of our lives to honor Him. So, we cherish each day as a gift, and no matter how young or how old, we can ask the Lord to draw us closer to Him each day, to grow every day, and to show us how we can honor Him in the opportunities that He presents us.
2nd Timothy chapter 4 contains a Scripture passage that reminds us of the importance of finishing strong. Paul writes:
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
A 90-year-old pilot has completed his birthday quest to fly 90 passes across the U.S.-Canadian border, according to the Niagara Gazette. John Lawton of Seville, Ohio, went up in his Cessna 172 north of Buffalo on Tuesday and flew a series of figure eights over the Niagara River border, detouring for a few trips around nearby Niagara Falls, which straddles the U.S. and Canada.
Lawton had planned on making the crossings on his 90th birthday on Monday but got about 28 in before the attempt was curtailed by wind. Fellow pilot Claudia Childs, who helped in the planning, says Lawton finished the remaining crossings Tuesday in about 90 minutes.
This is added to a long list of flying highlights accumulated over more than 6,000 hours of flying in more than 40 models of aircraft, according to an Associated Press piece published at Yahoo!
Lawton was involved in developing Lacrosse guided missile systems, collecting snowflakes in flight during lake-effect snowstorms in Buffalo and initiating avalanches by dropping explosives in the Italian Alps. He led a 1968 research team that created the Skadi, an electronic rescue beacon to locate avalanche victims, and has lent his skills to Angel Flight, the Civil Air Patrol and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
In 2007, he received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, given for 50 years of safe flights.
The flight took place near where Lawton had what he calls the closest call of his flying career, a disorienting, dark and snowy flight home from a December 1956 business meeting in Syracuse. It ended with an unannounced landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which had been closed amid an 11-inch snowfall.
Our lives are ordained by God, and we make it our ambition to please Him, to bring Him glory. As we consider His purpose for us, we recognize that the days we are given are to be used for Him. We are not promised tomorrow, that's for sure, but we also see that if by His will we are granted long lives, then He expects us to use the entirety of our lives to honor Him. So, we cherish each day as a gift, and no matter how young or how old, we can ask the Lord to draw us closer to Him each day, to grow every day, and to show us how we can honor Him in the opportunities that He presents us.
2nd Timothy chapter 4 contains a Scripture passage that reminds us of the importance of finishing strong. Paul writes:
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
A 90-year-old pilot has completed his birthday quest to fly 90 passes across the U.S.-Canadian border, according to the Niagara Gazette. John Lawton of Seville, Ohio, went up in his Cessna 172 north of Buffalo on Tuesday and flew a series of figure eights over the Niagara River border, detouring for a few trips around nearby Niagara Falls, which straddles the U.S. and Canada.
Lawton had planned on making the crossings on his 90th birthday on Monday but got about 28 in before the attempt was curtailed by wind. Fellow pilot Claudia Childs, who helped in the planning, says Lawton finished the remaining crossings Tuesday in about 90 minutes.
This is added to a long list of flying highlights accumulated over more than 6,000 hours of flying in more than 40 models of aircraft, according to an Associated Press piece published at Yahoo!
Lawton was involved in developing Lacrosse guided missile systems, collecting snowflakes in flight during lake-effect snowstorms in Buffalo and initiating avalanches by dropping explosives in the Italian Alps. He led a 1968 research team that created the Skadi, an electronic rescue beacon to locate avalanche victims, and has lent his skills to Angel Flight, the Civil Air Patrol and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
In 2007, he received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, given for 50 years of safe flights.
The flight took place near where Lawton had what he calls the closest call of his flying career, a disorienting, dark and snowy flight home from a December 1956 business meeting in Syracuse. It ended with an unannounced landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which had been closed amid an 11-inch snowfall.
It's gratifying that Mr. Lawton is still going strong doing what he loves at the age of 90. And, it does seem that we're living longer and living stronger than ever before. When you read about people in their 90's who are continuing to do bold things, I'm reminded of those words of the apostle Paul about finishing strong.
I believe God has sovereignly given us a certain number of days on this earth - and if we hold to the premise that we have been placed here on earth for a purpose, then we can expect God to use us until that final day when He calls us home. I'm gratified to hear of people after they retire who see that as a gateway to do another form of ministry. It's so important that we continue to stay active, even after we may leave a particular occupation - and the resource of time is certainly available.
I believe that God intends for us to grow in Him over the course of our lives and to continue to keep spiritually fit and active, as much as possible, when we reach those later years. I think of Billy Graham, who is approaching age 95 and even though he doesn't get out of the house much, he's still deeply involved with the ministry to which God called him decades ago. And, he's preparing for that "My Hope with Billy Graham" message that will go into thousands of homes across America in November. So are pastors and individuals who are being trained to lead small groups, who will gather to hear the message, as well as testimonies from those at the gatherings. Check out www.myhopewithbillygraham.org for more information. There's a preparation meeting coming up on June 18th in Greenville at First Baptist Church.
So, as God gives us the days of our life and the strength to carry on, we can have an attitude of seeing every day as a gift and attempting to make wise use of the opportunities He has given to us, even in the final chapters of our lives.
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