Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Philippians 3:16 NIV
Living Up To What We Know
Condé Nast Traveler readers named their favourite countries around the world this past October — and Canada earned a notable spot on the list. The results of the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards survey are out, and lists Canada in tenth position, with a score of 90.94. The top 10 rankings were dominated by European countries, while Japan claimed the top spot with a score of 95.36. Canada was followed by Switzerland and Mexico in 11th and 12th place, respectively. Now Canada needs to live up to its reputation.
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Years ago, before children, Wendy and I took a two-month road trip through Europe. We would wake up each day and say “Well, where do we want to go today?” It was so much fun just to be able to stop along the way whenever we saw anything interesting. Well, this works well if you’ve got the time and no end goal in sight except to see as much as you can in a 24-hour period. It does not work in the Christian life. Philippians 3:16 says, “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” What Paul has been focusing on is the marathon of a life in Christ. In this it’s easy to become distracted by what lies ahead or discouraged by what we’ve left behind. Paul reminds us to stay faithful to the progress we’ve already made. When we live up to what we’ve attained, we honour the work He’s already done in us. It’s a call to integrity, to walk in the light we’ve been given, and to trust that He will continue to guide us forward.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley