Philippians 3:12-14 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. 13Brothers 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, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s “one thing” his main goal was to be all that God had in mind for him. Paul wanted to know Christ and to be Christ-like in his character. This goal absorbed all Paul’s energy. This is a great example for us. We should not let anything take our eyes off the goal – becoming all we can be through Jesus Christ.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle Paul had to overcome was his past. So Paul decided to lay aside his past in order to strive toward his goal. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead (Philippians 3:13). Paul could not let his past define his future; he had to accept the forgiveness that was his through Christ and go do the next right thing. We have all done things for which we are ashamed, things we regret, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become.
This week’s lesson will focus on Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. The audio of the lesson will be available on the website by 10:00 AM Sunday morning. Praying everyone is staying safe, sane, and healthy.
In Christ,
Gary T.