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…
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