“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.” Philippians 3:13
These are the words of the apostle Paul. Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, for God. Easier said than done, right? Moving forward, especially if there is something you’ve done in the past, or had done to you, is difficult. But believe me, if Paul can do it, so can we!
In case you are not familiar with the apostle Paul, he was a very acknowledged leader in Judaism and was very opposed to Christianity. He thought that all Christians were heretics and that they should be destroyed. In this time, Paul was more widely known by the name Saul, which was his Hebrew name. In Acts 9:3-9, Luke gives an account of how Saul met Christ on the road to Damascus and was immediately changed.
Here is a man who spent most of his young adult life persecuting Christians and after one encounter with the Lord, was changed forever. He then became more widely known as Paul and spent the rest of his life sharing the gospel. Wow! Talk about someone who had a past! In the verse above, Paul says that he forgets what is behind and strains toward the goal for Christ. Now, Paul does not literally forget his past. There are times in the New Testament (see Galatians 1:13) where Paul refers to his past in his letters.
Clearly, Paul has not forgotten his past, but he does not dwell there. Isaiah 43:18 states “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.” This is what we need to do. We are not likely going to forget all the things in our past. There will be times when something that happened in the past will replay itself in our minds. Don’t dwell there, though. Learn from it, but don’t live in it. Live for today. Today is where God can make the most use of us if we are willing. Are you willing to make the most of today for the Lord?
Lord,
Thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ so that I might be forgiven. Thank you for giving me the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in me so that I might have the strength to overcome the past. I know I can’t do it on my own. Please give me the courage to live for you, today, and not dwell in the past, Amen.
