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, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul – Philippians 3:13, 14
It’s the first weekend of the New Year. 2007 is a year full of possibility and opportunity. We each have 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8760 hours, 525, 600 minutes, and 31,536,000 seconds. What will you do with all this time?
Paul’s letter to the Philippians offers some good advice. First, forget what is behind. Paul is talking about forgetting what is behind in such a way as to not jeopardize his present and future spiritual growth.
Paul is forgetting both the good and the bad of the past. He forgets the wrongs of the past that could paralyze him with guilt and shame. He also wants to forget about the achievements of the past that could cause him to slow down or coast along in his spiritual development.
Paul is interested in one thing: to strain toward what is ahead. Like a runner in a race Paul didn’t want to look back to see where he had been he was concentrating on where he is going. Paul said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Nothing short of God’s good and perfect will, nothing short of reaching his destiny, nothing short of spiritual victory would have satisfied Paul. What about you?
No doubt you have some goals for 2007. It is good to have goals. Goals are necessary in order to measure success in our lives. Take time at the beginning of this New Year to spend time with God, seek His will for you and your family this year, and discover God’s very best for your life.
