More Beyond

The danger of believing you've already arrived.

I first came across this illustration in David Guzik’s commentary on Philippians 3. I’ve since dug a little deeper into the history and adapted it here.

According to an old tradition, the Pillars of Hercules at the edge of the Mediterranean represented the boundary of the known world. The phrase Non Plus Ultra (meaning “Nothing further beyond”) captured the belief that there was nothing more to discover beyond that horizon.

But then came a new era of exploration, Spain’s understanding of the world expanded, and in 1516, Charles V adopted a new motto:

Plus Ultra aka “Further Beyond.”

I feel like at this point he would have mic dropped had he known how.

No longer a declaration that they had reached the limit, but an acknowledgement that there was more to discover. More beyond. Doesn’t even hearing that stir something deep within your belly?! It does me.

I wonder which phrase has become engraved on our hearts.

Nothing further?

Or...

More beyond?

Sigh. If we’re honest, it’s easier to live as though we’ve arrived. We settle into a comfortable faith that says:

• I know enough.

• I’ve grown enough.

• I’ve experienced enough of God.

• I’ve done my part.

But in the New Testament Paul shows us a different posture. And let’s face it, if anyone could have claimed to have nailed their faith, it was Paul. He had planted churches, preached the gospel across nations, encountered Jesus personally, and written words that would shape generations of believers.

Yet he says:

“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.”
— Philippians 3:12

Paul’s confidence wasn’t in how far he had come, it was in the One who was still calling him forward. He wasn’t chasing achievement. He was pursuing Christ.

Friend, the Christian life was never designed to be a journey towards a place where we no longer need Jesus. It’s a lifetime of discovering there is always more of Him to know. There is always more grace to receive, more love to understand, more freedom to walk in, more character to grow into, and more of His presence to experience. Not because God is lacking, but because He is infinite. We will never reach the end of who He is.

• Every time we return to Scripture, we discover another glimpse of His heart.

• Every time we surrender another area of our lives, we uncover another layer of trust.

• Every time we say yes to His invitation, our horizons expand.

There is always more beyond.

Maybe today you feel stuck because you think you should be further ahead. Perhaps you’re discouraged because you thought you’d have mastered that struggle by now. Or maybe you’ve quietly settled into believing that this is as far as your faith will go.

But Jesus is not standing at the end of a finish line waiting for you to catch up. He is inviting you forward again, and again.

The horizon is not the end . . . it’s an invitation.

So keep pressing on. Because in Christ, there is always more beyond.

powerofagain.com

Where in your walk with God have you quietly settled into "I've arrived" and what would it look like to believe there's more beyond, right there?

Let’s pray:

Lord, if we’re honest it's often easier to settle than to keep pressing forward. But You are infinite, and we will never exhaust who You are. Holy Spirit, would you stir that hunger again understanding that there is always more of You to know? Call us forward, in Jesus’ name, again, and again. Amen.

So if today feels like a horizon, not a finish line, that’s okay! That means there's more beyond. And you're exactly where you're meant to be: keeping on keeping on.

Cheering you on,

Em 💛

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