Philippians 3:12-15 NLT
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. Brothers 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
REFERENCES: Ecclesiastes 9:11
Have you ever been on a long road trip with your family or friends and someone asks, “Are we there yet”? But then comes the dreaded answer— we haven’t yet arrived! In Philippians 3, Paul reminds us that God wants us to focus on eternity rather than time. As we are on the journey of life it may seem long and different than how we envisioned but we can trust God is doing something new in every season of our lives. When we practice forgetting the past (our failures, mistakes, regrets), and press towards the goal of eternity, God prepares us for the next season. He is faithful to mature us until miracles happen more often than our mistakes. There’s a generation waiting on us to be what God has called us to be. As we continue on the road to eternity, remember there is no enduring power without Jesus until we have arrived at our home in Heaven.
Live in the hopes of the future rather than the hurts of the past.
If we are focused on the past, we will miss out on what God is doing in our current season. When we allow God to work through us, we are able to lean into the process of preparation for eternity.
It would be impossible to move forward if there is a hyperfixation on the mistakes you have made in the past. Forget the failure and choose to remember the redemption you’ve received through Christ.
Progress thrives when we stop focusing on the failures of the past. Our growing pains can knock us off track and keep us in a cycle of reliving our mistakes. However, as we move forward in Christ we are propelled into spiritual maturity. Through the power of Christ we can overcome ideals of worldly hope that pollute our minds with doubt. Our hope is a confident expectation in a perfect God who is not confined by time, and loves us enough to prepare us for eternity. We were sinners but now we are called by name. We stand in agreement with Apostle Paul that although we may not have arrived, by grace we are becoming who God has called us to be.
In the “Prayer” section of your Philippians Journal, ask God to help you release your past and grab hold of the purpose He has for you.
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