RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-03-22	Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind (Ph.3:13)
		Php 3:13 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, Php 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul challenged himself to keep moving forward in his Christian walk of faith. When Paul said he was “forgetting those things which are behind,” he referred to past relationships, memories, failures, temptations, and anything that might distract his focus. Paul drew on the image of an athlete running a race with uncompromising determination to reach the finish line. The word “forgetting” (v.13) has the idea of “dismissing from the mind or paying no attention to.” It is to stop dwelling on something. To win the race, a runner must dismiss every distraction from his head. This is Paul's way of saying, “Don't look back! Stop dwelling on the past. Do not let anything behind you interface with your present progress or future efforts. Personal growth as a believer was a constant priority in Paul's life. When it comes to forward motion, our bodies tend to move automatically toward the place where our eyes are directed. A runner who keeps turning back to see what is behind him will lose his race. Paul urges believers to stop looking back at the past and stay focused on the future goal. Paul determined to “forget” the former way of life when he violently persecuted the church of God (Ga.1:13). He quit dwelling on the hindrances, persecution, and imprisonment in his past (2Co.4:8-9; Ac.16:22-40; 23:10; 25:1-12; 28:17-31; 2Tm.1:15). Paul looked forward to heaven, the resurrection of his body, and meeting his Savior face-to-face. How do things which are behind us hinder our progress in spiritual growth? Holding on to emotions like bitterness and unforgiveness can slow us down and even keep us locked in the past. What might you be holding onto from the past that keeps occurring in the theater of your mind even today? It is best to take negative things in our past and “delete” them from affecting our current lives today. We need to be continually moving forward and not let past issues affect how we live today. The Christian life should be lived with our eyes facing forward on Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate priority that makes our lives worth living. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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