Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13,14 KJV
For some participating in a marathon or walking for a good cause is all they think about.
They are not worrying about who is in front or behind them.
How long it will take them to complete it, compared to others.
No matter how many times they did not complete it, or how tired they felt, they kept going.
Their determination was strong.
They may not have come in first place, but their prize still came from the fact that they stayed focused on making it to the finish line.
The Apostle Paul made the same choice spiritually.
His past endeavors, whether good or bad, he chose to forget.
The only thing that mattered was for him to keep his eyes on the goal of gaining the approval of Christ.
The one true race we all should be participating in and making it to the end.
It is the mindset that God is trying to develop in all our lives (vv.13-15).
We will sometimes struggle with letting go of our past, but we don’t have to continue to live in it.
God has given us the ability to keep pressing forward and we should be thankful.
Remembering that anytime we confess our sins, they are cast away and buried in a deep sea.
We have no reason to keep bringing them up.
When we keep looking back, we make it impossible to make Spiritual progress.
To run and finish our race and get our prize.
Reaching new heights as we do things Christ’s way.
Keep pressing toward the mark.
He has a call to your life.
A goal He desires us to reach.
Be determined to make it to the end.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Father, onward and upward is what we should be looking to do with our lives. No longer letting our past be what we are focused on. Like the Apostle we are pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling. Aiming for the goals that You have set for our lives. Let us stay focused so we can make the Spiritual progress that only comes when we strive to finish the race.
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen