"Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14
At the beginning of a New Year, let's listen to how Paul describes his past efforts. Earlier in the chapter, he lauded the things he used to count as good or worthy. In verse 7, he concludes, "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."
The idea is counting. It is reckoning. It is to do math. You add up what you had outside of Christ, compare it to what you have in Christ, and you see that all outside of Christ is loss and rubbish" (v.8). When engaging in accounting, you deal with numerical facts. Emotions and sentimentality do not come into play.
As we move into 2017, let's not live in the "good things" or "bad things" of the past that were done or experienced apart from their relationship to Christ. Let us not become proud or conceited over those "good things." Let us not despair or become discouraged over the "bad things."
In Christ, we are complete (Col. 2.) We have redemption in Him (Eph. 1). We have peace and reconciliation in Him (Rom. 5). We are justified in Him and have been glorified in Him (Rom. 8). We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heaven lies in Him (Eph. 1). We have all things that pertain to life and godliness through Christ (2 Pet. 1).
All of these truths should make us thankful for the past but energize us, by the working of the Holy Spirit in us, to press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus in the future. Let us run with endurance the race that is before us. We are to fix our eyes on Christ (Heb. 12).
By God's grace may we run and stretch ourselves out toward that goal.
At the beginning of a New Year, let's listen to how Paul describes his past efforts. Earlier in the chapter, he lauded the things he used to count as good or worthy. In verse 7, he concludes, "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."
The idea is counting. It is reckoning. It is to do math. You add up what you had outside of Christ, compare it to what you have in Christ, and you see that all outside of Christ is loss and rubbish" (v.8). When engaging in accounting, you deal with numerical facts. Emotions and sentimentality do not come into play.
As we move into 2017, let's not live in the "good things" or "bad things" of the past that were done or experienced apart from their relationship to Christ. Let us not become proud or conceited over those "good things." Let us not despair or become discouraged over the "bad things."
In Christ, we are complete (Col. 2.) We have redemption in Him (Eph. 1). We have peace and reconciliation in Him (Rom. 5). We are justified in Him and have been glorified in Him (Rom. 8). We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heaven lies in Him (Eph. 1). We have all things that pertain to life and godliness through Christ (2 Pet. 1).
All of these truths should make us thankful for the past but energize us, by the working of the Holy Spirit in us, to press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus in the future. Let us run with endurance the race that is before us. We are to fix our eyes on Christ (Heb. 12).
By God's grace may we run and stretch ourselves out toward that goal.
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