Philippians 3:13-14(NLT)
“13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
If you ask anyone right now how their year has been, most will probably say that they can’t wait until it’s in the rearview mirror. So much of it has been perilous and dark. Once the new year hits, many will still be talking about 2020, and may unknowingly try to bring its remnants into the new year. Even with our best intentions, it can be challenging to forget our past and move on from it. Both believers and those who don’t yet know our Savior’s saving grace find it difficult to let go of the past, but if we want to embrace the newness God offers us, we must release anything that doesn’t propel us forward in His purpose.
In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul instructed God’s people that were living in Philippi to live right according to the teachings of Christ, and he encouraged them to have the right attitude. This right attitude is extremely important for those of us living today. As believers, the engines that propel our lives is built on our allegiance to respond to God continually. This is how a well-lived life is made.
Romans 12:2(MSG) says, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Finding out what God requires of us is achieved by a commitment to study His Word. He communicates with us through His Word, and His Word is what makes us spiritually sharp and keeps us that way. Then, after having gained knowledge of His Word, when God says, “Go left!”, we hear it and heed it immediately.
The reality is that we cannot serve two masters. We can’t listen to what God is saying in our ‘right now’ and focus on the past at the same time. In order for us to embrace the newness that God ushers in, we must have an attitude of forgetting the past, and keeping our eyes locked on God so we can respond to Him.
Some of the relationships we had, the behaviors we displayed, and the things we did in the years preceding 2020 led up to us not being as prepared spiritually for its challenges as we could have been. Some of us were not able to maneuver financially or to handle the social disciplines required. We hadn’t developed a habit pattern of quiet times with God, and when the shutdowns happened, many of us didn’t know what to do with our time. Going forward, we may need to make some adjustments.
The Apostle Paul understood the flexibility that God requires. He encouraged believers to never get tired of living for Christ. Paul was raised in the strictest of Jewish principles. He was so zealous for the law that he obeyed it without hesitation. His mind was focused on what he knew, and he was so entrenched that he didn’t allow any space for the truth to get in. It took a very profound encounter with Jesus Christ to stop him dead in his tracks. Then Paul opened his eyes to the love of Christ. The harshness of the pandemic has done this for many of us. It’s opened our eyes to how serious spiritual maturity must be taken.
Our hope must always be anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ. The institutions and systems of the world cannot save us, but God’s Word declares that Jesus Christ is our salvation! We must make a greater commitment to study God’s Word more and to pray without ceasing. This is what prepares us for what comes next. Paul tells us, when he knew better, he did better. He even says that he doesn’t stop at just the basics – he presses to receive greater revelation and put it into practice. He emphasized that he had room to grow as a mature Christian, and so do we. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Looking Forward to What Lies Ahead”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.