New Year

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

Well today we is the first day of the New Year. The New Year means different things to different people. For some it is an exciting time as they look forward to what the New Year will bring. For others it may be a time to reflect on love ones that they lost last year. However, for Christians it should remind us that our past is our past and our future is in Christ.

Paul writing to the Philippians warned them about resting on what they have done in the past. A runner who looks back risks being passed. Nor does a runner’s performance in past races guarantee success or failure in present or future races. The past is not relevant, what matters is making the maximum effort in the present so as to sustain momentum in the future. Some will look to their past achievements to validate their supposed spiritual status. It is not what we have done in the past that assures us that we belong to God but what we to today and each day forward. A true believer will never be satisfied with what they did for the Lord in the past. The expression, “What have you done lately?”, applies to our walk in the Lord.

Paul urges every believer not to be satisfied with past success but to focus on the prize that our Lord Jesus Christ has set before us. Paul made a break with everything in his past, both good and bad. Religious achievements, righteous deeds, successes in ministry, as well as sins, missed opportunities, and disasters must all be forgotten. They do not control the present or the future. Believers cannot live on past victories, nor should we be debilitated by the guilt of past sins. Churches are full of spiritual cripples, paralyzed by the grudges, bitterness, sins, and tragedies of the past. Others try to survive in the present by reliving past successes. We must break with that past if we are to pursue the spiritual prize. Believers must focus on being like Jesus Christ. Pursuing Christlikeness here and now, until we are made like Him in glory, defines the progress of the Christian life and the goal of our ministry.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark