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, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
The biggest challenge of a Christian is the ability to forget yesterday while striving for tomorrow… There are a lot of things in life I am not proud of, but in Christ we must make the decision that our past will not restrict or limit our future; in fact, the past will provide experiences for a foundation of better decision making and yearning to do the will of God… Not only must we be able to overcome failures and skeletons, we must also realize the weight and bondage associated with our past if we do not overcome and release it… Ponder this statement very closely as we study today’s verses from Paul’s epistle to the church of Philippi… The more you carry on your shoulders, the more energy that is required to take a step… We all are probably aware of the great work Paul completed or begin in his life upon this earth… Several missionary journeys, many letters of encouragement and/or reform and even through all the years, at this point in his life he pens to the church that “I count not myself to have apprehended…” Though we toil in the garden that we have been called to tend, we can never make the mistake of thinking we have reached the heights of success that we are called to meet… We can never be satisfied or become satisfied on this earth as we are clothed in imperfection from the womb… I contend that every day you see on this earth is a day in which God has something that you have been designed to do…
You have more work in your vineyard, you have more toiling in your fields and to understand this you must be able to leave the past in the past… To leave the past in the past means that we must not only forget about failures and/or past mistakes, but that we cannot fall into the snare of the enemy to become complacent with a small, finite measure of success… There are so many people who have sold themselves short not only by holding on to things, but by also allowing themselves to believe that they have gone as far as they need to or can on this earth… This passage reminds us of how rugged this journey is in trying to live according the will of God and to travel through this Christian life each and every day... Paul starts out by saying that he did not count himself to have apprehended; this means that he had not gotten to high on his horse. This should also serve as a measuring stick for us, knowing that there is so much work in store for the people of God… Remember Paul was an educated man who influenced a lot of people throughout his life. He had the popularity and fame, but remained humble as we see in this passage. Notice Paul next states that he is forgetting those things which are behind; we know that before being given the name Paul he was known and referred to as Saul… Before being a (n) ambassador for Christ he was a persecutor of Him. Know that you have many dark corners in your life, many closets that you have tried to close and conceal from others…
We all have fallen short and made wrong decisions, but we must overcome them and continue to push forward, this is what Paul means when he says, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling…” There is a level of success that God has for your life that cannot be seen by your physical eyes, there are rewards God has for your labor that will not be seen on this earth and when we walk by faith we press on despite what we see and endure knowing that there are greater things in store... Paul says and this is very important to note as well that he is forgetting, not that he has forgotten. This tells me that this is a (n) everyday action, we will never wake-up and not remember the things we have done (the devil won’t allow it), but we can remain steadfast on God’s word and continue to focus on Him so that we don’t lapse in our Faith. Just as Paul tells the church, we must reach for those things which are before us, don’t dwell in the past, look to the future. Press toward the mark, this is not a (n) easy journey, you have to fight, you have to sweat, you have to endure hardships in order to reach the prize of Christ. Remember Jesus said to keep in mind that they hated him first, meaning that he was the first to be hated, but not the last. You will go through some of the same things, but it is worth the pain when heaven is your eternal home and you come to know the words Paul penned in his letter to Rome as true, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
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