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.
Philippians 3:13
The world will tell you that the dominating influence in
your life is your past. If you came from a difficult home,
that will determine the direction of your life. If your culture
was treated unfairly, that will dictate the condition of your
life today. If you were hurt or abused or if your youth was
spent in rebellion, the remainder of your life will be spent
struggling with your past.
Christians, on the other hand, live in freedom because
Christ has overcome our past. The “old things” have been
done away with and “new things” have come (2 Cor.
5:17). God has so totally forgiven the Christian's sin that
He chooses not to remember it (Isa. 43:25). Christians do
not forget the past, but we are not controlled or motivated
by it. The Christian looks to the future with hope.
The people of the world focus on what they are
overcoming. Christians focus on what they are becoming.
Christians know that the Holy Spirit is conforming them
into the image of Christ. Christians know that eventually
every injustice will be addressed and every hurt
comforted. They know that Satan, and death itself, will
finally be brought to an end. The Christian's future is so
full and rich and exciting that it supersedes whatever
happened in the past.
If you are preoccupied with your past, ask God to open
your eyes to the incredible future that awaits you and
begin, like Paul, to press on to what is ahead.
Devotional by Richard Blackaby:
Experiencing God day by day.
