Introduction

There’s a reason your heart quickens whenever you sense a fresh start. New mercies. New morning. New possibilities. Like a runner at the starting line, leaning forward, muscles ready, eyes fixed—something inside you says, "There’s more ahead." You were made for forward motion with Christ. You were fashioned for the finish line, not the bleachers; for momentum, not maintenance.

Some of us came today with yesterday still clinging like wet clothes. Regrets that replay. Words we wish we could take back. Choices we wish we had made differently. Others of us carry trophies of yesterday—good things that have quietly become anchors, tying us to a glow that keeps us from today’s grace. The past can be a great teacher and a terrible master. But this morning, God is handing us a key, and that key is this: Jesus is calling us upward. He isn’t shaming you backward. He isn’t stalling you sideline. He calls you by name, and He calls you ahead.

John Wesley said, "The best of all is, God is with us." If God is with us, then forward is possible. If God is with us, then failures aren’t finales, and victories aren’t ceilings. If God is with us, then the hands that hold the universe can hold your future. Isn’t that what your soul longs to hear? That your next step in Christ can be steadier, stronger, surer than your last?

Picture Paul, the seasoned saint, writing to friends he loves. He’s tasted hardship and seen heaven’s help. He’s not sitting in a recliner reminiscing; he’s lacing up his shoes. He says, in effect, "I’m still running." There’s a holy stubbornness here, a single-minded focus. He refuses to let the past write the last chapter. He refuses to let distractions dilute the main thing. He aims his whole life at one worthy target: the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

What if you set down what you cannot carry into the next mile? What if you let Jesus untie the knots of guilt and the tangles of pride? What if your heart learned the holy art of "one thing"—that simple, steady, straight-ahead gaze on Christ? You don’t need a catalog of steps; you need a single direction. Forward. Toward Him.

Some doors open when you move. Some grace appears in the going. The Spirit steadies your stride as you choose a Godward focus. This is not finger-wagging pressure; this is Father-hearted invitation. He’s not asking you to sprint in your own strength. He’s reminding you that His grace is the wind at your back, His Word is the track beneath your feet, and His voice is the call that lifts your chin when you’re tempted to stare at the ground. Can you hear Him? Above the noise, beyond the nagging chorus of old labels and loud worries—a clear, kind call: "Come on. Keep going. I’m right here."

So as we read the text, ask the Lord to do three simple things in you today: help you leave the past in His hands, help you press forward with a clear focus, and help you answer His upward call with a faithful yes. Your future in Christ is not fragile. Your next step, taken with Him, is never wasted.

"The best of all is, God is with us." — John Wesley

Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) "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."

Father, thank You for new mercies today. Thank You that in Christ, the past does not have permission to chain us and the future is held in Your faithful hands. By Your Spirit, teach our hearts to set down what we cannot carry, to trust Your cleansing grace, and to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Lord Jesus, be our focus. Quiet the noise that pulls our attention away. Strengthen weary feet, steady trembling hands, and align wandering thoughts. Give us the courage to take the next obedient step toward You.

Holy Spirit, call us upward. Open doors that You want opened. Close doors that would distract us. Fill us with holy resolve, humble confidence, and a fresh joy in the race set before us. We believe You are with us; help us move forward in that assurance. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Leaving the past to pursue Christ's victory

Paul gives us a clear picture in Philippians 3:13-14. He is a seasoned believer, yet he says he has not arrived. He narrows his life to a single focus. He refuses distraction. He speaks in simple terms that carry weight. Forget what lies behind. Reach for what lies ahead. Press on toward the goal. Live for the prize that God holds out in Christ. This is everyday faith with a clear aim.

"Forgetting what is behind" does not mean erasing memory. It means starving the power of yesterday to steer today. The word carries the sense of letting something slip from your grip. It is the choice to stop feeding the replay. Old sins that Christ has cleansed. Old wounds that shaped how you see yourself. Old wins that once encouraged you and then turned into titles you felt forced to protect. These things can sit in the passenger seat, and then they slide behind the wheel. Paul takes the keys back. He says, in Christ, yesterday does not set the terms. It can teach, yet it cannot command. Forgiven sin loses its voice. Past honors lose their sway. Painful chapters lose the right to name you. This takes clear steps. Name the old weight. Bring it into the light before God. Speak truth to it with Scripture. Tell a trusted friend. Refuse the loop when it starts to spin. Then turn your face toward what God has for you now.

"Straining toward what is ahead" is strong language. It pictures a whole body stretch. Muscles tight. Eyes set. Every thread of attention leaning in the same direction. Grace and effort are friends here. God supplies strength, and you use it. You choose what you face toward. You shape your day around that choice. You set times to pray, and you keep them. You meet God in the Word, and you linger. You bring your calendar under Christ. You cut noise that scatters your mind. You speak life when old labels echo. You deal with a conflict instead of letting it rot. You practice kindness where you feel cold. You build habits that point your heart toward Jesus. Little steps, done again and again, form a stretch that lasts.

"I press on toward the goal" sounds steady, even stubborn. Pressing on is a push that keeps moving when feelings fade. Some days feel bright. Some days feel gray. Pressing on does not wait for a mood to match a mission. It accepts limits and keeps going within them. It looks at the goal and takes the next right step. Prayer when words feel thin. Scripture when lines feel flat. Worship when the mind feels scattered. Work done with honesty. Rest taken with trust. Service offered without a stage. Fellowship with believers who speak truth with love. Repentance when you drift. Gratitude when you see even a small gift. The press is not flashy. It is faithful. Over time, that quiet push bears fruit no shortcut can produce.

"The prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" tells us what waits at the end of the lane. The prize is a Person and all that comes with Him. To see Jesus. To be like Him. To share in His life, holy and whole. To hear His glad welcome. To step into a future where death has no sting. That hope is not a vague idea. It is a call from God that reaches into today. It sets the value system of your life. It makes you hungry for what lasts. It trains your eyes to spot what pleases Him. It helps you carry hard seasons because you know where your story goes. It keeps you from living for applause that fades. It gives courage in quiet places where no one is watching. The finish is sure because the Caller is faithful. So the race makes sense even when the path feels uneven.

This passage frees you from two traps that often hide in plain sight. Shame over past failure. Pride over past success. Shame says you are stuck. Pride says you have arrived. Both keep your hands off the plow. Paul sets both down with a single focus. He will not let guilt rehearse its case. He will not let applause shape his steps. He turns his whole self toward Christ and moves.

There is also help here for grief that lingers. Some hearts carry loss that still aches. "Forgetting" does not push away love or deny pain. It means placing memories in God’s care and letting Him hold what you cannot hold alone. It means trusting that Jesus meets you in sorrow and still has work for your hands. It is okay to walk with a limp. The Lord knows your frame. He gives daily bread for daily need. He uses even tears to water seeds that will one day bloom.

Notice the order in the text. Forgetting, then straining, then pressing. Release makes room for reach. Reach makes room for steady steps. Many want the press without the release. Hands already full cannot grasp new grace with ease. Lay down what clutters your soul. Open your grip. Then stretch. Then keep going. Slow progress still counts. God sees.

This kind of focus grows best in community. Paul writes to brothers and sisters, not to lone heroes. We need voices that remind us of the goal. We need songs that lift a tired heart. We need stories of God’s help in real homes and real jobs. We need loving questions that keep us honest. We need prayers when we feel foggy. We need shared tables where joy and burden sit together. Christ uses His people to help each other forget the old pull and reach for the better prize.

Practical steps can make this concrete. Write down the old scripts that still speak to you. Put a line through them and write a verse beside each one. Tell the Lord what you are turning from and what you are turning toward. Ask a friend to check on you in a week. Mark a time in your day for Scripture and prayer, even if brief. Place a reminder where you will see it. When old thoughts rise, answer them out loud with truth. When a win comes, say thank you and move on. When a fail comes, confess, receive mercy, and move on. Keep moving on.

Under all of this stands Christ’s work for you. His cross answers your past with full pardon. His life in you answers today with real power. His promise answers your future with solid hope. So you can release. You can reach. You can press. You can fix your eyes on the prize that never fades.

Pressing forward with single minded focus

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