Philippians 3:12-14-Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
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.
Paul uses “I” 15 times from verse 4 to 14, he wants to rely were his heart is, what his relationship is with God.
Press On-He was going forward.
With his activity, with his attitude, with his actions, everything he did, he wanted to bring glory and honor to God!!
our accomplishments, our failures, our hopes, our dreams, etc. We need to see again where we came from and how we got to this place.
Lay Hold Of-He want all that God had to give him!
Are you partaking of all that God is offering?
Brethren-Paul is referring to them as family, and as a family member he is confessing to them, that he is not perfect, but he is reminding them, they are not either!
Count-To calculate.
Paul looked at all of his achievements, all his accomplishments, and realized he still was lacking something!!
He also calculated that even though he had been a Christian for 25 to 30 years, he still had a lot of maturing to do as a Christian!
Apprehended-In your physical life, if you don’t use your muscles they begin to deteriorate, it’s just like that in your spiritual life.
We either grow or regress.
We either go up or down.
We either move forward or go backward!
Just like a car, it can sit for a couple of years, and it looks good on the outside, it may start and run, but then you noticed some things not working, some problems within it, why because it is not been doing what it was created to do!
It was created to move, not sit! And so were you!!!
Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind
Does your past include failures, successes, shattered dreams, unrealized goals, mistakes, sins, hurts?
Sometimes we need to take a look at our past, to remember where God has brought us from, and also so that we won’t make the same mistakes again!!!
Don’t beat yourself to death over things that happened in your past, if you have repented and asked God to forgive you, then remember this verse….
2 Cor. 5:17-Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
The person that committed those awful sins, those horrible crimes, those disgusting offences, is dead!!!
There can be a danger in looking to long at the past, because if we are not careful we will want to stay there!
To many people relive all their accomplishment, all their success, even churches do that, Christians do that!
If You Continually Look In The Rearview Mirror, You Will Drive Into A Ditch!!
Yes God did something in your past, but guess what? He wants to do something in your present! Something in your future!
I was regretting the past
And fearing the future . . .
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
“MY NAME IS I AM.” He paused.
I waited. He continued,
“When you live in the past,
with it’s mistakes and regrets,
It is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I was.
When you live in the future,
With its problems and fears,
It is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I will be.
When you live in this moment,
It is not hard. I am here.
My name is I AM.”
- Helen Mallicoat
