I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:12-21 NLT
We can't change the past, but God can change our futures. Paul did wrong and shameful things in his past. He also had some accomplishments that he once considered priceless but then considered worthless. He chose to move past his past and walk forward into a new future with Jesus. Paul traveled many miles and planted many churches to spread the good news about Jesus. His whole life was about being close to Christ. This was his calling and his new future.
These verses challenge us to walk forward with Christ. We can leave behind our mistakes because, in Christ, we are forgiven. We must leave behind our accomplishments and press on to the goal of our faith. Our past shapes us, but we are shaped even more by our future as we walk with Christ. Press on to the goal. Run the race with Christ. You are not defined by your past but by your future with Jesus.
What are some mistakes you need to surrender to Christ? What are some accomplishments you need to surrender as well? How can you let the future with Christ shape you more than the past?
