Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead

Philippians 3:4-21 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

⁷ But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, ⁹ and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; ¹¹ if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; ¹⁶ however, let’s keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.

¹⁷ Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. ²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

In Luke 9:23-25 Jesus says :  “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it. For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?”   In today’s text Paul says: Whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  There is nothing more valuable than know Christ Jesus as Lord.  All that can be achieved and accumulated in this life will pass away, but we will all have an eternity somewhere. Even a full life of a hundred years is but a twinkling in the scheme of eternity. When we weigh the things of the world against the value of knowing Christ as Lord, they are mere rubbish. 1 John 2:15-17 says: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. In Psalm 37:3-7 the psalmist says: Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring out your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. 

Paul continues in the text saying: Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I  press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  It is not that we have already grasped it or become perfect. Jesus said it is a daily decision and action that we take up our cross and follow Him. Our cross those is not a cross of suffering and sacrifice that we are required to bear. When Jesus was on the cross, in John 19:30 He said: “It is finished!”  His sacrifice and suffering has already fully accomplished all that we need both now and for eternity. The cross we take up is a cross that puts our past behind us. We live each day forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. We press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The power of the resurrection is more than that we will have eternal life with God, it is also that we will walk with Him in this life. In John 10:10 Jesus says: “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”  Again though, the abundant life that Jesus gives us is not an abundance of earthly things, they are mere rubbish compared to knowing Him.  In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  The cross we take up daily becomes what yokes us to Christ. It is what gives us rest, peace and abundance. 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit: I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I  press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I gladly take up my cross and take on Your yoke that I might know You; that I might know Your peace, Your rest and Your abundance. Amen.