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….forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 

I press on toward the goal for the prize

of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 3:13b-14

 

Good morning dear sister!

Do you know what today is? It’s the day you’re going to forget about all the stuff you left behind in order to press on to your calling in Jesus Christ! I am confident of that because you are taking the time to read this!

Think about the language the Apostle Paul uses here;’ forget’, ‘reach’, ‘press on’, ‘goal’, ‘upward’, ’call’. Paul wants to know Jesus and know the power of His resurrection! Coming to know Jesus like this takes active participation and a willingness to do things His way. 

But some of those words are kind of scary! Let’s consider’ forgetting’ for a moment; what do we need to forget? Paul declares that he counts all things loss in the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus! All of his religious works, his standing among people he respected, in whatever things he counted as gain in his life! When He found the worthy goal of following, even pursuing Christ, he counted all previous goals and achievements as rubbish in comparison. 

As I sit here on vacation, overlooking beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, I envision Paul in the water, floating on the little raft he’s built of the dead sticks of his righteous works, his respectable position, and his great learning. He’s floating along, content and congratulating himself on what he’s built when the wind starts to pick up. He begins working hard to keep himself upright, but there’s a holy disturbance brewing on the horizon. Just as His raft begins to break up in the waves, he sees his salvation! A rescue boat pulls up alongside him! Captain Jesus is at the helm, calling for him to climb aboard! But, he has a decision to make; choosing between life and death, for he can only be pulled to life if he lets go of his sticks. He understood that his salvation can only come from the living Son of God!

As Christians, we need to forget all the little sticks we tend to carry too! Even if they seem to be perfectly good sticks! Often we, too, feel that they are keeping us afloat. Some sticks are comforting, some make us feel good, others make us feel justified, some give us peace. But we too are in danger of aimlessly floating around, never reaching for God’s goals for us if we are satisfied and comfortable. 

Forgetting what lies behind takes action to do so. It may require repentance. It may require forgiveness. It simply may require a decision to stop going back to that place of memory. It requires letting go, so that God can fill you! 

Goals are always ahead of us, something to strive for, a prize to reach for! When you are moving toward Jesus, you are moving toward the highest goal! You are moving to His upward calling and a prize!

The next time you feel a challenge from the Holy Spirit, consider the goal He has in mind for you! The attaining of that goal far surpasses the work you have to do because God will help you, if you let Him.

Keep loving Jesus and moving forward!

With love, your sister, Celeste