Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Forgiving and forgetting is the prerequisite to going forward. As we follow the example of the apostle Paul and echo his words of “this one thing I do,” let’s not miss the truth that in order to reach ahead and press forward it is at times necessary to forgive and forget the things of our past. Looking back keeps us from looking upward to God for help. Forgiving and forgetting are the keys to true freedom in the Christian life.
The hardest thing about being a Christian is keeping your eyes on God. We get so easily distracted in this fallen world. We need to have our mind set on the things that will glorify God. But it’s hard when you’re so involved in your own life and whatever makes you happy. We need to remember where we were before we came to Christ. It’s hard at times, but Jesus is always there with h His strength to carry us through.
How many of us remember when we had no place to turn but to God? Like the prodigal son, our lives were in a mud pit. We needed to start over in Christ. No matter what we went through before we came to Christ, we now know that we are in Christ. Forgetting may be hard at times, but that is what we need to do. A newborn baby does not know anything and is learning constantly. When he is uncomfortable he cries. As Christians, when we get uncomfortable, we need to cry out to God. We become a totally new person when we come to Christ. So we need to put our mind on pressing ahead towards the goal that God has set before us.
Sometimes life can be so hard that we feel like giving up. But giving up is something that shouldn’t be in our vocabulary as Christians. Many of us have worldly attachments that keep us from serving Christ. We need to learn to forget them. Because It’s important that we get rid of whatever it is that is holding us back from serving God 100%. We need to have our mind set on Christ always in order for us to keep pressing on and moving forward towards our goal.
We have to learn to be willing to forget our pains and problems. We cannot go forward in our walk with Christ until we are willing to lay aside some hurts, offenses, and problems. Our focus must always be on Christ. Forgetting past hurts, offenses, problems, and failures is necessary in order to press forward.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
It is best to forget what is behind us so that it has no opportunity to overtake us again. We need to go forward in forgiving and forgetting so that we don’t become worse than the very thing we hate. Paul pressed forward for a prize. To him, there was something greater to be gained by moving ahead and not lingering in the past. That is true for us in terms of offenses as well. There is simply nothing to be gained by going back to past hurts and refusing to get over them. By forgiving and pressing forward, we gain strength, maturity, understanding, and patience. We should forget the past and press forward for the reward of knowing what we have done is right, lies ahead.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
