LSEM > Devotions > Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead

  • May 28, 2026
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
No Comments

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 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. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” – Philippians 3:12-21

In my younger days, I had a summer job at the Saginaw (MI) Children’s Zoo as the train driver. The zoo has a train that runs on a 24” gauge track and can accommodate about 30 – 40 passengers per trip. The half-mile train ride took the passengers all around the zoo. You could see all the different animal exhibits, you travelled over a bridge, and the best part of the trip was the dash through a dark tunnel with the whistle blaring all the way through. It was undoubtedly the best $0.75 you were going to spend at the zoo.

Driving the train wasn’t hard. There was a handle for accelerating. Pull back to go forward and push forward for reverse. There was a second handle for an air brake. Add to that a rope to ring the bell and another to blow the whistle and you pretty much had it down. The most difficult part about it was wearing the uncomfortable and unflattering bib overall shorts that my boss required as a uniform.

There were, however, a few challenges that had to be overcome from time to time. First, the train couldn’t run on a wet track. This didn’t please my boss who wanted the revenue, so if it was only sprinkling, I had to walk the track and put sand on the rails to help the train climb up the hills. Unfortunately, there was no remedy for the wet tracks coming down the hill and air brakes were no help for that. The other problem occurred when a rotten railroad tie would cause the rails to shift and the train to derail. This sounds worse than it was. If the train fell off track, I immediately felt the bump as the engine settled into the stones, bringing the ride to a stop. I then hopped down off the engine and helped everyone get out of their seats and walk back to the depot for a refund. Next, I assembled a team of people to lift the engine back onto the tracks and replace the rotten ties. And seeing how some of the boards were 25-30 years old, there was no shortage of rotten ties to replace. Nobody ever got hurt, but fixing the rail, replacing the ties, and putting the train back on the track was a bit of a pain.

Our lives are like a railroad track. We have a path that God has laid out for us to follow. From the beginning of time, God knew the route we would take in life. As the train driver, I couldn’t control where the train went, I could only follow the route laid out by the tracks. We as Christians have one path which God has laid before us. We may not always like the view or the direction, but God has set us on the path of His choosing because it meets His will for our lives.  We can choose to change course; to jump the track. However, just like a derailed train, the alternate path leads only to disaster.

Sometimes we find ourselves dealing with challenges. External things will hamper our efforts to travel down our path. Like the rain on my track, it causes us to slide back and not move forward in our spiritual growth. We all know people who are spinning their wheels. They get angry at the littlest of things, then hold grudges for decades to follow.  They refuse to stand unified as the body of believers.  These people are determined to go on their own strength and refuse to let the Word be their guide, or as Paul says it in verse 19, “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things.”

We also know people who possess a hollowness within their spirit, like the ties rotting beneath the track. They fail to provide stability for the train because they have weathered the elements of the world for too long.  You know people who have rotten ties. They have no control over their lives. The aura of their complaining spirit lingers in the room long after they’ve left. They choose worldly solutions to spiritual problems and seek God’s will only after exhausting every other idea they could devise. They tend to be bitter and resentful, and needlessly so. If only they would seek Christ as Paul implores in verses 20-21: “And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

What we are ultimately being called to do is to follow the path that God has laid out before us and under His guidance, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (vs.13). When we live in the unity of the Word, we learn that there is no place for lingering hate and anger.  When we live in the unity of the Word, we learn that we can be content with who we are today because our joy is not dependent upon others. It springs forth out of the seed planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  Finally, when we live in the unity of the Word, we learn that we can press forward in faith, trusting God to fulfill every promise that He has made over us in all things.  We know where we are going and the destination is good.

And the best part – no bib overall shorts!

 

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

Senior Director of Operations