fo-getta 'bout it! (living a life of kingdom posture)

postlude: march 14, 2006

“Brothers and sisters, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 13-14 TNIV)

The apostle Paul had quite the resume, didn’t he? He was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” And yet, with all of his clout, he confesses to his friends in Philippi that he had not “taken hold of it.” (Philippians 3:5-6 TNIV) Better yet, he says that he is “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”

In my mind, all I can hear is one of the Sopranos saying (in a thick New York accent) “fo-getta ‘bout it”; translated: forget about it.

Paul is pleading with his friends to live with a kingdom posture and to “live up to what we have already attained” through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“Kingdom posture?” you ask. Let me back up a bit and hopefully this terminology will make more sense.

Many years ago, when I was in college, I played in the jazz band. The director of the jazz band had this way of instructing that was…well, let’s just say it was unlike any teaching technique I’d seen before.

Here’s the scenario:
The band would play the chart (the musical arrangement) and really work hard to make it sound good. When we would finish, our director would peer at us from over his eyeglasses and say something like: “It wasn’t happenin’ guys – do it again from the top.”

I remember sneaking a peek to see the reaction of the other band members because in my mind I was thinking that I put everything I had into that particular run through of the chart and all he can say is “it wasn’t happenin’ guys.” What does that mean exactly? Isn’t that just a tad bit ambiguous, or is it just me?

So, our director counted us off and we started another run through of the chart, and guess what? It was worse. Not necessarily because of his rehearsal technique (or lack of), but because we were on our defenses. We were thinking more about ‘why wasn’t that last run through good?’ and less about improving the next run through. We were thinking about the past and not the present.

Living in the past can be a defensive posture and on the flip side, living in the future can be an offensive posture. Either way, we’re not living in the present, which is the kingdom posture. It’s living in the present moment and living in the presence of God, the living God.

In years past (in one of my many moments of self-pity), I would tell my wife “I wish I could just go back to playing the drums…that’s it, just playing the drums”. It was comfortable, not because those were the best days of my life, but because I knew what to expect. In times of struggle, we tend to want less of what we need and more of what we know. We know the past. The present requires us to think and sometimes that is not altogether comfortable.

Think about the times you’ve dated someone and then ended that relationship. At the time, you are present to both the reason why the relationship is not working and why the relationship simply won’t work. However, when times get lonely, you start thinking about the past and that relationship. You begin to say to yourself “well, it wasn’t THAT bad.” All of a sudden, you’re back in the relationship only to realize in a small window of time all the reasons why you ended the relationship in the first place.

The old adage “don’t read your press clippings” isn’t just about the danger of feeding your ego. It’s also a challenge to live in the present moment.

Living life with a defensive posture (living in the past), does not create the future. Creating the future is in the decisions we are making NOW, in the present. Kingdom posture is being in the present, in the NOW. Kingdom posture is when you are present to life, present to the people and environment of opportunity all around you and most importantly, present to your Heavenly Father.

“Live up to what we have already attained.” Paul was pleading with his friends in Philippi and to us, to walk in Kingdom posture. To take hold of the prize – the constant, ongoing relationship with the Creator of the Universe, our Heavenly Father – and run to the finish line.

If you’re living in the past, drop your defensive posture and FO-GETTA ‘BOUT IT! Jesus said and is saying “the kingdom is at hand.” Our Savior and those who gave their lives for His message of freedom are calling us to live in the NOW and live with a Kingdom posture. They’re call us to create the future by living in the present.