One thing

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, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3v13-14


Like any of us who are honest with ourselves Paul knew that he was not there yet. In a thought that continues on from yesterday’s section, Paul says this (in a parrowphrase) – ‘I know that I am not there yet. I am not fully sanctified. I am not Christlike. But there is one thing I do. I forget about all the stuff in the past and stretch out for the rest of the race so that I will cross the finish line as I look upward to the call of God in Jesus Christ.’

It is hard to miss later words that seem to go in hand with this thought – “Looking unto Jesus, the Beginner and the Ender of my faith.”

Yesterday’s illustration of the Hoyts was not perfect. I used it to illustrate a specific point about our dependence on Christ as we press on. Here however, Paul expresses his own effort. “I forget about the past and I reach forward.” There are some today who claim that at some point of the Christian life we just stop working and go along for the ride. I just can’t see that from this picture. ‘I forget and I reach’ seems to imply that the life is still work. You can almost picture the runners in a race striving to get to the finish line.

One thing more today, I think it is important to note the concept of ‘forgetting the things that are behind.’ It is easy to dwell on the past, good or bad. Sometimes we can’t get over the hurts and pains other have caused us in the past. How often have I heard people talk about things in their family or hurts they have suffered that keep them from trusting God today? Freud and his modern followers would have us believe that all the problems we have today can be traced to childhood issues and they would have us dredge up the past so we can deal with it. What did Paul say? ‘I forget about that stuff and reach forward.’

Another thing that needs to be forgotten sometimes is the victories of the past. It is good for us to remember how God has brought us through situations in the past and remember from those times how He is faithful, but there are times where instead of doing that we look back on the good old days with wistful thoughts. “I remember when we had 19 buses and 200 bus kids every week.” “I remember the great city-wide campaigns when all the churches got together, shops closed, and thousands came to Christ.” And so on and so on.

It was great to see God work in those ways, but we can’t rest on our remembrances. We must press on, striving for the mark in the 21st century. Don’t look back; look forward to the finish line where the One who started the race for us waits with open arms for us to finish the race.