Todd Johnson
Family Pastor
Philippians 3:13-14
“13 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, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
How many of you wish you could have a do-over with something in your life? Maybe you made a big mistake when you were younger and would love to go back and undo it. I have made my share of mistakes in life but when I think about what I wish I could undo, I think about the people that I have hurt. One positive about social media is that it has allowed me to apologize to people from my childhood for treating them poorly. I cringe when I think about some of the mean things I did to people but am grateful that I have been able to ask many of them for their forgiveness. There are still so many other mistakes I made that I can’t undo but I know that the Lord has forgiven me.
I say all of this because these verses remind me that I don’t need to dwell on the past, which includes my mistakes. The Lord wants me to focus on Him and what lies ahead in my life. My goal needs to be reaching that prize of being with Jesus one day in eternity. Everything I do and say here on earth, should be bringing Him glory and pointing people to Him. The Lord doesn’t want you dwelling on your mistakes of the past, you can’t change them. He has washed you clean with the blood of Jesus so accept His grace and mercy and run toward the goal of being with Jesus. He wants us to forget what lies behind and look forward to what is to come.
I am grateful for God’s goodness and unconditional love. I need to do a better job of focusing on what the Lord wants me to do and to keep my eyes on the prize. God is so good to us, and we don’t deserve it. Let’s work together to encourage each other to live for Christ and to share Him with others so they can get their eyes on Jesus.