“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
As I was seeking God’s direction concerning what to write for this week’s Five Minute Friday post, the above words of the apostle Paul came to mind. And along with them, the realization that this is God’s direction for our future.
- Leave Behind. The first thing God calls us to do as we look toward the future is to let go of the past. We usually think of this in terms of leaving behind our failures and regrets, and that’s a part of it. But in context of Philippians 3, Paul was referring to leaving behind the good things too – the things he had done that made him appear righteous according to the law.
- Press On. We are to press on with understanding of God’s purpose for our lives. As Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, we were “… created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are to press on with the goal of fulfilling those good works.
- Keep Our Eyes on the Final Destination. Know we are on our way to heaven, and turn our eyes and heart in that direction. Keeping an eternal perspective is an important part of moving forward through the difficulties of our current lives. It helps us to keep our eyes on living to please God on every step for the journey.
So today, let go of what lies behind, whether good or bad, and press forward into the future God has for you. And all the while, keep your eyes on our end destination, our ultimate future when Christ returns for His Bride.
HOPE & LIGHT 
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