THIS ONE THING I DO

"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."  (Philippians 3:13, 14).

One of the things that cripples people most in their present lives is not properly dealing with their past.  Our personal history can drastically alter the way we think, feel, and act in given situations.  It shapes our attitudes about ourselves and about others.  It can breed guilt, depression, anxiety, anger, impatience, and sorrow on the one hand, and pride, arrogance, and a false sense of one's own worth on the other.  It can trigger a whole host of emotional responses in us that would seem strange or unwarranted to the casual observer.  Often, even we can't explain our behavior.

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church tells us that there is one thing that he has learned to do in order to stay balanced in the Lord: he reaches toward the things that are before him while forgetting the things that are behind.  Paul realized that - good or bad - once a thing has passed, it no longer has any power over, or real bearing on, the present.  Because I failed yesterday is no reason for me to not overcome today.  The failure may cause me to feel defeated today, but it really has nothing to do with my present performance.  The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from my sin; and, therefore, if I have brought that failure to the throne of grace, and believe in the power of His blood to purify my conscience, then yesterday's sin has become a non-issue to me.  Instead of focusing on what I have done, and what has been done to me, I can now focus on those things that God has planned for me, and has promised to me.

It is not just my failures that can cripple me in the present; it is also my victories.  If I do not keep my successes in their proper place, they can give me a false sense of accomplishment which may hinder my future growth in the Lord.  I have known brothers who had wonderful testimonies of how God had moved in their lives 5, 10, or 20 years ago, but had no fresh experiences of God's faithfulness today.  They had become stagnant and yet trusted that they were still ok because God had used them mightily at one time.  Paul said, "I count not myself to have apprehended."  In other words, he never allowed himself to think that he had arrived, or that he had it all together and needed nothing more.  His eyes were  fixed on one goal, on one mark, on one finish line.  He knew that there was a prize waiting for him there.  It was the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Extricating ourselves from our past is a process.  It is a matter of learning to recognize my behavior in the light of the pattern set by the Lord Jesus Christ.  My wife used to do a lot of sewing.  She would make clothes for our children when they were younger, and for herself.  She would purchase paper patterns for the garments that she wanted to make, and follow those patterns closely.  She knew that if she deviated from the pattern, the garment would not turn out right at all.  We have been given a pattern for our lives, and that pattern is Christ.  I may think that I have very good reasons to alter that pattern for my own life; but, in the end, things just will not turn out right.  I will be hurt, and I will hurt others.  As I look into the mirror of God's Word, however, a wondrous thing occurs.  I not only see the Lord more clearly - Who He is, and what He is like - but I also see myself clearly in the light of His glory.  "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."  (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In Christ I am learning that it is no longer my history that is important, but "His story."  My experience is now wrapped up in His.  It is because He died to sin that I am now dead to sin.  It is because He overcame the grave that I now can enjoy new life.  It is because He defeated the world and Satan that I am now victorious.  As Christians we can rest secure in the knowledge that as He is, so are we in this world.  (1 John 4:17).  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."  (Galatians 2:20).  This, then, is our life!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SIMON OF CYRENE

“AND AS THEY led Him [Jesus] away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” (Luke 23:26).   Three of the Gospels in the New Testament mention a man by the name of Simon in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  He is only mentioned once in each of the accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as told by St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. Luke.  There is much that we can learn, however, from the scant details of his story.   Scripture tells us that Simon was from the city of Cyrene which is in present-day Libya.  Cyrene was at least 850 miles from Jerusalem – a very long trip for folks in Jesus’ time.  During this period, there was a strong Jewish community in Cyrene of about 100,000 or more.  Simon may have been a member of this community and made the long trip to Jerusalem for the Jews’ yearly Feast of Passover.  If so, this woul...
Read more

GROW UP INTO HIM

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 John 3:2, 3).   Scripture declares that we are now the sons of God.  Sonship is not a state that we must earn, wait for, or work toward.  When a male child is born or adopted into a family, he becomes a son immediately.  He does not become more "son-ish," or more "sonny," over time; he is already 100% a son from the beginning.  What is not clear, however, is what that son will become.  It does not yet appear what he shall be once he is fully mature.  It is apparent then, that as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, we must grow up and mature.    It is natural for every living thing to go through a state of growth; and when this does not occur, then we know something is amiss...
Read more

THE PRISONER OF THE LORD

It could well be said that the apostle Paul knew the inside of a prison very well.  Commentators generally agree that he spent two years in a prison in Ceasarea between 58 - 60 AD, was imprisoned in Rome between 61 - 63 AD, spent time in a maritime dungeon in 68 AD, and was jailed in Rome again that same year.  He also saw the inside of a Philippian jail.  Altogether, Paul spent seven years of his life in prisons.  Rather than being bitter about his lot, he instead seemed to take pride in being the "prisoner of the Lord."  He firmly believed that, whatever his lot, God had a plan and a purpose for everything that came into his life as a Christian.  In Romans 8:28, he acknowledges that, "…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose."   Paul expanded on the theme of God's providence in all things in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians when he wrote, "Blessed be God, even the Father of ou...
Read more