June 24 - Forgetting Those Things.

Philippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
 
Arrows must be pulled back a bit before they can be launched forward. 
Yet, they never look back…they are always pointed toward the mark.
 
We are arrows in the quiver of the Lord. 
He points us where He would have us to go, and it is up to us to yield to His direction.
 
If we allow the winds of this world to sway us, we will miss the mark.
If we try to look back to what is behind us, we will miss the mark. 
 
Dwelling in the past is dangerous.
 
Jesus warned His disciples against lingering in the past.
Luke 17:31-32
“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife.”
 
Those last three words should remind us of how dangerous it is to look back in longing to return to where we once were. She was dissolved into a pillar of salt because of her disobedience.
 
Paul realized that no matter what has happened in our past, good or bad, we must choose to forget those things. 
 
“…but this one thing I do…”
He made it a priority to focus on what lied ahead, instead of what had happened.
 
“I press toward…”
What are we eagerly pursuing today? Who are we seeking?
If we run ahead while looking back, we are sure to eventually trip and fall. 
 
Sometimes, the only way of forgetting those things is by reaching forth toward the things He has for us.
 

Bible Reading:
1 Chronicles 3-4   |    Philippians 2