Straining Forward
To What Lies Ahead
Beloved, I do not consider that I have
made it on my own; but this 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 heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are
mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this
too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
Brothers and sisters, join in
imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in
us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of
them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god
is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly
things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are
expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our
humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power
that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
How do you handle your sins? We all
know that Jesus died for our sins. We know that He paid our penalty, but
somehow we can’t let go of the guilt. It is as if His suffering was not enough.
We lament our failures. We want to keep copies of all our past sins.
The apostle Paul wanted nothing of
this. He accepted as an accomplished fact the removal of all his guilt before
God because Christ’s death had marked Paul as being paid in full. The memory of
his earlier days remained vivid, but it did not weigh him down. Everything that
happens to us is retained in our memory. A wise forgetfulness based on the
atoning sacrifice Christ made for us can keep all guilt feelings from
cluttering up our life.
Guilt is a
burden God never intended His children to bear.
Our Daily
Bread –