Re:Verse passage – Philippians 3:12-16 (day four)
Paul says, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on…” We are grateful for the lessons of the past and, hopefully, learn from our experiences. Paul is admonishing the believers in Philippi not to focus on the past or allow the past to hinder their future. Setting goals and moving forward should guide us rather than the past.
This counsel is much easier when you are young and looking forward to your whole life. What about when you have several (meaning a lot!) of decades behind you? It is easier to live in the past. Stop and think about Paul’s circumstances as he wrote these words. Not only was he in the waning years of his life, he was in prison and had been abandoned by all but a few close associates. It would have been easy for despair to set in and for him to live on his past accomplishments.
Christ changes all of that! With Christ, we have purpose…with Christ, we strive for sanctification…with Christ, the very best years of our lives may lie ahead. Paul says, “Press on!” God’s call is upward!
