Philipians 3: 13-14
13 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 towards what is ahead, 14I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.
"People say this: 'YESTERDAY IS A MEMORY, TODAY IS REALITY, And TOMORROW IS A DREAM'
However, Christians say, TOMORROW IS NOT ONLY DREAM BUT IS HOPE"
What is hope? Hope is the basic form of belief that something desired will be obtained."
"YESTERDAY has passed, it cannot be changed anymore. If we Failed in the past, don't keep stopping there; If you were successful in the past, don't get carried away, all of that is over. How about you today?
"In the reality of this life, there are many people who always talk about their past. 'I used to be great, I used to be rich, I used to have a high position, "In the past, I was diligent in serving God. The question now is, how about now? Am I still diligent?"
"The Apostle Paul was aware of who he was. Remembering his past, he was Saul who was useless to Jesus. However, because of God's grace, he repented and became an apostle. Paul did not say that he had been successful."
"There are three important things we can learn today."
1. The first is: forgetting what is behind.
What does it mean? It means that in this life, we should not be lulled by the past. In reality, as normal human beings, we cannot forget our past, unless we have Alzheimer's. The past can be a lesson, but not something to be mourned or glorified. All of that has passed.
Everyone has different experiences, some sweet and some bitter. Success and failure color human life; and these make us more resilient, strong, and mature. Paul had experienced it. Paul was not just an ordinary person; he was a Pharisee, a learned man. His teacher was the famous Professor Gamaliel. Even before his conversion, he was a top figure, especially as someone who opposed the followers of Jesus. And after his conversion, he was also an admired person, his sermons were extraordinary, and his ministry was also noteworthy. He deserved recognition. However, someone like Paul tells us to forget all that...... it's all in the past...... it won't happen again..... what's most important is how we are today
"If in the past we were so diligent in serving God, how about now? If in the past we loved God so much, how about today?"
Why should we forget what's behind? Remember that what's behind has passed, has changed, is not permanent. Just like love or affection from humans is not permanent.
But God's love remains unchanged, from the past until now.
There's a story of a Aunty who enjoyed walking in the park every evening. Each evening, she would walk for about 30 minutes. One day, while walking, she saw a young couple dating. She overheard the woman asking the man, "Do you love me?" The man replied, "I love you, we've been dating for 3 months." Why you Ask? The woman asked again, "How do you love me?" The man was confused, thinking, "How?" Then he had an idea and said, "I love you ABCDEFG." "What's that?" asked the woman. "A Boy Can Do Everything For Girl." Wow, the woman was very happy.
Hearing this, the aunt who was walking became angry inside. She thought, "How is this possible? I've been married for 30 years, but my husband has never said ABC or ABCD to me?" Then she quickly went home. She prepared delicious food for her husband. She took a bath, put on makeup, wore nice clothes, and applied perfume. She was already waiting for her husband before he came home, which was unusual. When her husband arrived home, he was surprised, wondering what was going on with his wife today. Usually, she never greeted him dressed nicely, not yet bathed, and typically still in her pajamas.
Then the wife suddenly asked her husband, "Do you love me?" The husband was surprised, wondering, "What's wrong with my wife?" as he held her head. The wife asked again, "Do you love me?" The husband replied, "I love you, we've been married for 30 years, haven't we?" The wife asked once more, "How do you love me?" Then the husband answered, apparently having overheard what the young couple had said a few days ago while walking in the evening. "I love you ABCDEFG HIJK?" Wow, a surprise for the wife, she was shocked! "What's that?" asked the wife. Then the husband answered, "You are my wife, A: AMAZING, B: BEAUTIFUL, C: CUTE, D: DOING EVERYTHING, E: ELEGANT, F: FANTASTIC, G: GOOD, H: HI-TECH," then the husband paused for a moment. The wife asked, "What about I, J, K?" "I'm Just Kidding..." HUMAN LOVE is often just kidding, but Jesus' love is not just kidding. He even sent His only Son into the world, to die in our place, taking our punishment.
2. Focus on what’s ahead
Don't be captivated by the past; direct and focus on what's in front of us. Think about what needs to be done. Paul likens this life to an athlete who is running; this athlete must not have divided thoughts. Last year, they may have been a champion and received a trophy, but don't be lulled into complacency; that event has passed. Today we enter the arena of competition again, we must focus forward, concentrate, and aim ahead, not be entranced by looking back.
Straining towards what is ahead also means that there is still hope in front of us.
What has passed is gone, and we are running to obtain something new. In a few days, we will enter the year 2025; time passes so quickly. We don't know what will happen. Those of us living in America will enter the new year with a new President as well. There will certainly be new policies and new regulations. Some people may feel worried about what will happen. What about our jobs? What about our health? What about our families? But remember, God's word always reminds us, Do Not Be Afraid. Scholars have noted that throughout the Bible, the phrase "DO NOT BE AFRAID" appears 365 times. This means that every day we must not be afraid, we must not worry. Worrying is like paying a debt we never borrowed.
One day, there was an old woman who kept crying in church. The pastor approached her and asked why she was crying. The old woman didn't stop; instead, she cried even more. The pastor asked again, "Why are you crying?" The old woman then answered, saying she was afraid her grandchild would fall because there was an attic in their house. The pastor then asked, "How old is your grandchild?" The old woman replied, "I don't have a grandchild yet." The pastor then inquired, "When is your child due to give birth?" The old woman said she didn't know. The pastor was confused. He asked again, "How long has your child been married?" She said, "Not married yet."You see, the old woman was so worried, even though her child wasn't even married and there was no grandchild yet. Wasn't her worry in vain? The Word of God tells us to focus on what's ahead; that's where hope lies. That's where the Lord Jesus always accompanies us.
3. Running Towards the Goal to Receive the Prize
If we stop, if we lose focus, we will surely lose. Paul says we must run because the race is not over, so that we can reach the finish line and receive the prize. If we stop, it means we're creating our own finish line, and there's no prize for that. We will waste time, waste resources, waste everything, and it will be pointless to have participated in this race.The spiritual lesson we can learn from this is that human life is not always pleasant and smooth; sometimes difficulties come our way. These difficulties can be big or small; we must face them all. These difficulties are like a race. If we have experience facing big difficulties, then when small difficulties come, we can easily overcome them. As long as we are still given the breath of life in this world, it means God is giving us a task. He wants us to live glorifying Him. As long as we live, if there are difficulties, we should be grateful, because God always supports us, as long as our lives are pleasing to Him. Studying on campus, working in an office, being a boss in a company, or serving in God's field like Paul - all these are lives that deal with other humans, and this is not easy. Sometimes there are clashes and frictions that occur. There are various human temperaments that require double patience and sacrifice, especially when dealing with people who are physically adults but have childish characters.
Paul says let us run because the finish line has not yet been reached. If today there are people who feel like failures and are disappointed, and quietly intend to distance themselves from work or ministry, I want to tell you: stop for a moment and reflect. You haven't reached that finish line yet. Don't create your own finish line. God still wants to use us; His great work is not yet finished.
Psalm 37:23-24
The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.Can believers fall? The answer is Yes, they can. But don't be afraid, we won't end up lying flat on the ground. Only those who please the Lord are protected by Him throughout their lives. This is the goal in our lives.
Regard : Rev. Saumiman Saud - Cornerstone Evangelical Baptoist Church, San Francisco - +(415) 813 9772
