Straining Forward To What

Lies Ahead

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it 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.

Philippians 3:7-16

The apostle knew that he had more to learn about the Spirit of God, and he also knew he had a long way to go in becoming like Christ. What could he do? He could either fixate on the past, with its failures, disappointments, struggles, and disputes, or he could move on to what was next.

We learn from Paul how he chose to live his life. He forgot about those things in his past, and he reached forward for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. It is a perspective that speaks of moving on – of embracing what is next. It is where we too must focus as we seek to be shaped into the image of the Savior while we look forward to eternity with Him.

Keep your eyes fixed on the prize.

Our Daily Bread – April 18, 2009