Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Everyone has a past with which we either applaud or wrestle. We can look back
with regret or we can spend all our time looking back with pride. Either way of
thinking back can be instructive or destructive. There was a man who came to
Jesus one day with the desire to follow Him. "And another also said,
Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at
home at my house. (62) And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put
his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
(Luke 9:61-62) That doesn't seem like an unfair request but it is apparent that
Jesus knew if the man returned to his house, the memories would prevent him
from following. It is a dangerous thing to spend too much time looking
back while going forward.
Paul was revealing himself to us as he wrote the words of today's verses.
He was saying, "I haven't reached the place of complete submission, but
I'm working on it." There certainly were things in Paul's past that
would continue to bother him. He put men and women in prison for the very
reason he was in prison. He had had men and women killed because of their
testimony of Jesus. There is nothing we can do to change the past. Dwelling
upon it will not change it; but we can learn from it. Paul said,
"Forgetting those things which are behind." Notice the tense of the
verb, "forgetting." It is present tense which means for Paul,
and for us, forgetting is an ongoing process. We cannot prevent it from
popping into our minds, but we can push it out with God's help.
Forgetting those things behind is only part of the process. He said,
"I'm forgetting those things which are behind, AND reaching forth unto
those things which are before." Again, we cannot change the past,
but we can use it to help make the future a better place for us. Remembering
the past causes us to stand still. Christ has called us to, "Follow"
Him. He leads us in the forward direction. So while forgetting and reaching,
Paul is also pressing toward the mark. " I press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." God has
blessings in store for us as we seek to follow Him. Those blessings are
beyond anything we could ever hope or imagine. We are to follow Him by pressing
ahead even through those things that would slow us down. The effort of
forgetting, reaching, and pressing are well worth it in Christ Jesus.