By: Carole Lynne Haines
12 Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching 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 3:12-14)
The original languages of the Bible are so rich in depth of meaning that is often over-looked, glazed over or misunderstood in translation into other languages. When I looked up the three key words of the above Scripture, I was overjoyed at how me I could much more I could understand by seeing the deeper meanings. I have copied them below from the Blue Letter Bible.
FORGETTING-to forget, neglecting, no longer caring for, forgotten, given over to oblivion, i.e. uncared for
REACHING FORWARD-to stretch out to or towards, to stretch (one’s self) forward to
PRESSING ON-to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after
to press on: figuratively of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal,
to pursue (in a hostile manner).
God awakened me long ago to the need for me to pay much deeper attention to the action words appearing in the Scriptures, the do’s and don’ts. Here we see three very important do’s in Paul’s testimony. He chooses to forget, to reach forward, and to press on. He does not let regret over past actions, mistakes and decisions occupy his mind. Instead, he actively reacheS forward to what lies ahead, pressing deeper all the while into the purpose God has for his life.
How often have we wallowed in regret and sorrowed over bad decisions? It is a waste of our time and energy to do so. It drains us of our hope and joy. Let us instead follow Paul’s example here. Let us press deeper into the purposes of God. After we have repented of the past, let us actively choose to forget these things and reach forward to what lies ahead. We serve a God who promises us:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:12)
Our call is to LOVE GOD and to TRUST HIS PURPOSE. We cannot bring good out of the past, but He promises to bring good even out the worst of times, the biggest regrets, the most hopeless of situations. He is able, Dear Believer. Love Him, trust Him, rest in Him and reach for His purpose in your own life. That is one thing you will never, no not ever regret. Give it all to Jesus.
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