OCTOBER 26
FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND
Philippians 3:13-16
13 Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. (WEB)
If you want to avoid getting in a car accident, you should keep your eyes on the road. There's no point in fixating on your rearview mirror because that can lead to disaster. The best way to reach your destination is to keep looking ahead.
I appreciate how the Apostle Paul says that he chooses to forget what is behind him so that he can focus on what lies ahead. Specifically, Paul was referring to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I believe that one of the enemy's strategies to keep us distracted is regret. If he can keep us stuck in the past because of our mistakes, he will have achieved his goal. Just as we cannot drive a car forward while looking backward, we cannot move into our divine destinies by dwelling on past failures.
Runners can't run forward very well while looking backward either. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we are called to set aside the things that hinder us and the sin that easily trips us up so that we can run the unique race marked out for us. As we run, our eyes should always be fixed forward on Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith.
My prayer today is that God grants us the freedom to run the unique race He has set before us. May we forget what lies behind and focus on Jesus as we continue to run the race our Father has prepared for us.
Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (WEB)
13 Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. (WEB)
If you want to avoid getting in a car accident, you should keep your eyes on the road. There's no point in fixating on your rearview mirror because that can lead to disaster. The best way to reach your destination is to keep looking ahead.
I appreciate how the Apostle Paul says that he chooses to forget what is behind him so that he can focus on what lies ahead. Specifically, Paul was referring to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I believe that one of the enemy's strategies to keep us distracted is regret. If he can keep us stuck in the past because of our mistakes, he will have achieved his goal. Just as we cannot drive a car forward while looking backward, we cannot move into our divine destinies by dwelling on past failures.
Runners can't run forward very well while looking backward either. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we are called to set aside the things that hinder us and the sin that easily trips us up so that we can run the unique race marked out for us. As we run, our eyes should always be fixed forward on Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith.
My prayer today is that God grants us the freedom to run the unique race He has set before us. May we forget what lies behind and focus on Jesus as we continue to run the race our Father has prepared for us.
Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (WEB)