Scripture:
Philippians 3:12-16 NKJV
[12] Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. [13] Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, [14] I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [15] Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. [16] Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Observation:
I just love the way Paul writes. He includes himself and does his best to use his life as an example. I believe that is important when looking at how to walk according to the path that GOD had in store for him. Right here in the letter to the Philippines, we see him realizing that he has not arrived at perfection. As we all know, perfection is not possible. So why is Paul saying that we should press forward to attain it? So here is my conclusion to that question. Paul wanted to move forward in his walk with GOD always reaching, always moving forward, and always pressing on toward being a better person tomorrow than he was today. He knew that Jesus had changed his life through grace, and he held firmly to that. He was not using grace as a license to live however he wanted. Instead, he used it to understand how to shape himself to be more like Jesus every day. I love the way verse 13 puts it. Paul knew that living in yesterday was not beneficial to his walk with GOD. So he understood how to let go of it, stay in today, and focus on tomorrow. He knew that being stuck in a mistake from yesterday would only make today the same disaster yesterday was, and ultimately, the goal was to be a better person tomorrow. Staying focused on the fact that he was going to heaven helped him to want to be a better person and do what was necessary to become the person that GOD had created him to be. Verse 15 talks about having a mindset that is mature in Christ and allowing GOD to reveal HIS truth to you. Knowing that you can’t change yesterday is valuable. Living for a better tomorrow is priceless. I believe verse 16 is Paul’s way of saying, “Let’s not lose any ground. Let’s learn from our mistakes and not get stuck in them.”
Application:
I read these words in the book of alcoholics anonymous, “We do not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.” Little did I know that I would find the same principle in the bible written by the apostle Paul. If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are destined to repeat them. However, being stuck in the guilt and shame of them is not healthy for anyone. We can not change what happened, but we can make sure that it doesn’t happen again. As we all know, the only person to walk a perfect life we nailed to a cross. But that does not mean that we should not live for a better tomorrow. Yes, HIS grace is amazing and unending. However, that does not mean that we should not move forward. Staying stuck in the mistakes of our past is another way to ensure that we make the same ones over and over. If we can’t allow ourselves to press forward to tomorrow because of guilt and shame from yesterday, we will never attain or maintain anything. This analogy was given to me several years ago, and I absolutely love it. When you are driving a car, the windshield is a whole lot bigger than the rearview mirror because the only reason to look back is to take a quick glance and make sure you are putting distance between where you are and where you are going the windshield is bigger because you need to focus on your future and not get stuck in your past. Pressing on to the upward call of GOD is just like that. Stay focused on HIM, and make sure you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Do everything you can to gain ground. I want to be a better person today than I was yesterday, and I want to be a better person tomorrow than I was today. Constantly moving forward. Relentless in my pursuit of HIM. I’m doing all I can to walk naked in front of GOD. That means not allowing my sins of yesterday to keep me hiding from today. We are designed to pick ourselves up dust ourselves off and try again. Pressing on pressing on pressing on until perfection comes back at the sound of the trumpet. One more thing: We will pray when the enemy reminds you of your past. Remind him of his future.
Prayer:
Father, your plan is so incredible. You have designed us to advance. We know that it’s easy to allow the guilt and shame of our yesterday to steal our focus from where we are going to where we have been. That’s why one of the names of Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He wants us to be trapped in who we used to be. But that’s not who we are today. You have made us a new creation through the blood of your son, and as long as we hold on to HIS hand, we will be fine. Help us to continue to press on every day, making a better tomorrow for not only ourselves but those who you have placed next to us. You are such an amazing Father. You know how to move us forward. You have given us the choice and the freedom to make it. We choose you. Keep our eyes fixed on you and your ways. Never lose sight of the promised land that you are taking us to. We don’t want to get halfway there and not complete the task. Help us to press on. To attain your prize, that is your upward call. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.