I was watching a track and field event over the weekend, and in one of the sprints, the sprinter lunged forward for the finish line. It made a difference because he ended up on the medal stand. The runner wasn’t focused on those next to him; he was focused on finishing. What a great example of how we are to live our lives. We are to run the race of life and reach forward to the finish. Some of us didn’t start well, but in the race of life, it only matters how you finish.
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
Forget the Past
Paul wasn’t going to let his past hold him back from reaching forward to lay hold of what God had for him. That’s saying something considering the past Paul had. He could’ve easily allowed the guilt of murdering and imprisoning innocent Christians to hold him back. He could’ve been timid around the Pharisees that he once aspired to be like. Instead, he forgot the past and looked forward to what laid ahead.
Focus on the Finish
What’s holding you back? Is it recurring thoughts of some of your blunders? If so it’s time to let those go. How do you let those things that haunt you go? Paul tells us to pursue the prize. That means we can either keep looking back at our past, or we can look forward to where God is taking us. You can’t do both.
Reach Forward
Reach forward for what lays ahead. That means we need to focus on the mission Jesus left with us. Go out and preach the Gospel and make disciples. We also need to focus on Heaven. One day we will stand in His presence and revel in the glory of His light. That is our finish line with which we are running towards. Don’t let where you came from trip you up to where God is taking you. Reach forward for that prize.