One Thing We Must Do (By Shane Prewitt)

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14, emphasis added).
   
The Apostle Paul had lofty goals that inspired him every day. His goals were aligned with God’s plans and purposes for his life. Paul greatly desired to know Christ more and to become like him and to be used by him in this world.
    
From our vantage point, it would be easy to say that Paul progressed in his goals. God used Paul in incredible ways during his lifetime, and still today is using his writings, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to shape our lives as Christians.
    
But in Philippians 3:13, Paul stressed that he had not fully overcome all of his weaknesses and indicated it was a constant struggle for him to achieve the goals that he had set for his life.
    
Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel discouraged by the circumstances surrounding your life that seem to stand in the way in accomplishing your goals?
    
It could be something simple like a New Year’s resolution that you have already failed to live up to in the second month of the year.
   
It could be a sin that you have confessed on many occasions and yet today it seems to have as much root in your life as ever before. 
    
Maybe it’s a ministry goal that you had great aspirations for this time last year, but they have all but fallen apart because of the challenges surrounding COVID-19.
    
What are we to do when we are discouraged by the disillusionment of not being able to accomplish the goals we had set before us?
    
Paul tells us what his response was to those types of times in his life. He wrote, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on…” Paul recognized that he could not allow his failings of yesterday haunt his todays. He had to have a singular focus on forgetting the past and moving forward towards the highest prize of all – “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 
    
What is it in your past that you need to forget in order to be able to move on? Is it a past sin? Is it a past bad relationship? Is it a past ministry letdown? Is it a past bad church experience?
    
All of us go through disappointments. Disappointments and letdowns are indeed emotionally draining, but we cannot allow them to continue to weigh us down today. We must arm ourselves with the same attitude of Paul, and we must give the disappointments over to God and ask Him for a fresh perspective and motivation to move forward today.
    
Let us commit together to make today the very best day of our lives and press forward to all that God has ahead of us.