Scripture: Philippians 3:12-21
12 Not that I have already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul's Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their God is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Today's Meditation:
Paul shares with us his life-rule when he says that Christ is his priority today and all days.
Two phrases are particularly striking: "I press on" in verses 12 and 14 and "Forgetting what is behind" in verse 13. With the "I press on," he tells us that he is really living in to the current day that God has given him and concentrating on the task at hand. With "Forgetting what is behind," he is stressing that he is not living in the past no matter how bad it has been or how many things he might regret about it.
A Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once made this remarkable statement – "If you are oppressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present."
Prayer:
Lord, please help me to live fully in to this day that you have given me. Help me to see that all those disturbing memories from my past are under your grace and that the future is under your control. Amen
Howard Davidson