Philippians 3:13-14
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.
It seems as if the older I get (I am getting up there), the more I recall the stupid things I did when I was younger. They were not necessarily sinful things as much as they were things I am not proud of and I can only imagine what people around me thought when I did these things.
Can I let you in on a little secret? The devil loves to bring our past indiscretions before us to make us feel miserable and to keep us from being effective servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It also strikes me that our past accomplishments can also be detrimental. We can glory in past victories so much that we spend far too much time reliving the glory days gone by. Old soldiers never die, they just keep telling about past victories. Sad to say, old preachers fall into the same rut.
Paul sounds the battle cry in this passage in Philippians 3. He determines that the things of the past are to be left in the past and we are to be committed to pressing forward in the power of the Spirit of God. That is the challenge I want to accept and I am determined to continue until the Lord calls me home.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil