Back and Forth

DEVOTION

PHILIPPIANS

BACK AND FORTH

Phil 3:12-14

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
NIV

One of the most difficult things to do in the course of human existence is to forget the past. Even with the greatest of attempts it seems nearly impossible to forget situations or people who have caused distress or harm in my life. Another problem to try and forget is my own failures and faults which includes my own inability to remain true to the course and to please God first and foremost in my thoughts. This type of thinking and feelings of guilt can cause a reduction if not a complete stop in my growth and further walking forward with God. No matter what the past faults, or successes for that matter, living there within them can only bring just another failure. Being chained to the past simply put, constrains me from moving into the future. How can I gain a closer walk with my Lord, if I am forever indulging in my past failures or successes? Oh sure, can I learn from past failures and successes? Yes! Can I use them to improve my chances in the future? No! Only Christ and Christ alone is my salvation, my strength, my power, my chance of improvement. Only Christ can bring the desired result in my spirit, if I can only forget the past and strain forward toward the future, the goal, submitting myself to him and him alone. I cannot go back, I can only go forth.