Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead”
We have the idealistic concepts of spiritual truth,
We have the most exalted views of Christ,
We have the dynamics of how to be living
We have the heart and soul of the faith.
But we haven’t grasped all there is to grasp.
We haven’t arrived yet.
So what do we do?
“This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forward to those things which are before.”
The past was the past. Thank God for it, but it was the past. Our task is unfinished—really, we’ve barely begun. We’re just starting
So every day we begin again as though nothing at all had already been accomplished. Our new plan is to put the past resolutely behind us and set our sights on new targets ahead. Our new objective is “this one thing I do.”
It’s not about ‘These forty things I dabble with.’ ”
We concentrate all our energy on the one goal he had set for himself. Nothing could distract him.
We press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
We’re running a race.
Our head is thrust forward, our expression is fierce determination, our body is straining toward the goal, our nerve is tense, our breath is coming in gasps, our whole being is stretched toward the finish line.
Every ounce of energy all our will power is pointed toward the prize.
It’s irrational to run toward a goal with our head on a swivel looking behind us.
We look forward. We press ahead to our goal.
Our goal and determined purpose is that we may know Him
that we may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him,
that we may perceive, recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly
that we may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection and how it exerts a powerful influence in us
that we may share His sufferings
that we may be continually transformed in spirit
that we may be as incredible as it sounds in His likeness of death
Philippians 3:10 paraphrased
Jowett writes: We are satisfied with expenditure in which there is no. “shedding of blood.” We give away what they can easily spare. Our gifts are detached things, and the surrender of them necessitates no bleeding. We engage in sacrifice as long as it doesn’t involve life; when something really vital is demanded, we disappear. When Calvary and cross bearing comes into sight, we hide in safe seclusion.
Hudson Taylor wrote: There is a needs-be for us to give ourselves for the life of the world … Fruit-bearing involves cross-bearing. “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone.” We know how the Lord Jesus became fruitful— not by bearing His cross only, but by dying on it. Do we know much of fellowship with Him in this? There are not two Christs—. an easy-going Christ for easy-going believers, and a suffering, toiling Christ for real believers. There is only one Christ. Are we willing to abide in Him and bear fruit?
C. A. Coates noted: The knowledge of Christ in glory is our supreme desire and our passion could never exist without producing an intense longing to reach Him in the place where He is.
Our heart longs after Him instinctively.
We turn to the path by where He reached that place in glory, We earnestly desires to reach Him in that place by the very path He walked.
Our heart asks, “How did Jesus reach that glory? Was it through resurrection? No, sufferings & death precede resurrection?”
Then the heart says, “I’ll follow Him in resurrection glory by the very path which took Him there.” The pathway of suffering and death, to reach resurrection and glory. Through this path Christ wins our heart.
We Forget those things which are behind
We forget our sins and failures
We forget our natural privileges,
We don’t make demands on what we think we deserve
We forget our attainments, and successes
We forget our spiritual triumphs.
We fix our thoughts on Jesus
We concentrate our focus on knowing Him intimately
It is giving a hand to those who suffer under the distressing blows of adversity and hardship.
To extend mercy to the miserable. We identify with the sorrowing— We “get inside their skin.” sympathizing
Rather than watching from a distance Instead of keeping the needy safely at arm’s length, We get in touch, We get involved, We offer assistance We seek to alleviate the pain.
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