Straining Toward the Goal



Not that I already obtained,
I am far from being perfect;
In Jesus Christ, I have retained,
The reason God did resurrect.

I do not consider I made,
In forgetting what lies behind;
But straining not to be afraid,
Continue forward in my mind.

I press forward towards the goal,
For the prize when Christ Jesus calls;
Towards the mark that will guide my soul,
No matter as to what befalls.

Let those of us who are mature,
Think this way and not otherwise;
And enter through the narrow door,
So God can open up their eyes.

Let us hold what we have attained,
While walking in the same mind;
Being humble always remained,
With the triune God be aligned.

Be the followers together,
Keeping your eyes on those who walk;
Anytime where you may gather,
Keep Jesus in mind when you talk.

I have often said now with tears,
Walk as enemies of the cross;
The destruction of many fears,
Eternal life comes from your loss.

His Spirit is in your stomach,
Bringing glory unto your shame;
He is there in raising havoc,
For lighting the spiritual flame.

Citizenship is in Heaven,
As we await our Savior;
Inheritance will be given,
As the Father shines His favor.

Lowly bodies undefiled,
Giving one that is glorious;
Because being as His child,
While being victorious.

Copyright ©2022 Richard Newton Sherrer

About this poem

Reaching Forward to God’s Goal Philippians 3:12-21

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Written on September 04, 2022

Submitted by sir_ricky on September 03, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:23 min read
11

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF XGXG ADAD HIHI JKJK LMLM NHNH AOXO H
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,295
Words 279
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1

Richard Newton Sherrer

 · 1951 · Easton

I was born and raised on a farm in Pennsylvania. It was a small family farm that was handed down through 8 generations of Sherrer men until my father; Newton just could not make a living from it any longer. He thought that I would make a better living away from the farm. So, I decided to join the Air Force in 1969 upon graduating from high school. I gained quite a bit of experience and insight on life while in the service. Even though I was only stationed on the east coast of the US, my Air Force career took me to Germany and Korea. After 20 years wearing of the blue uniform, I decided going in a different direction and found myself becoming very diverse in many different fields. Something still seemed missing to me after being separated from the service for about 10 years. The Air Force was a way of life for me, but really missed life in Korea. I found myself changing careers again. Poetry was an interest of his since my days in high school. With returning to the Lord, I felt motivated to write of my Christian beliefs. I started looking at Bible verses and reflecting on my own personal experiences. The Bible was found to be as true today as to when the various books were written. I could see much of what the Bible is teaching us as valid as every in modern time. It felt only natural to me on using his personal experience based on Bible verses and see much of my own life written in the Scriptures. God inspires me what to write about though. I do not claim to be an expert on God or the Bible. I am just a Christian who has become enlightened to write poetic verses from the Holy Scriptures. more…

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