06/21/2020 - Press On - Philippians 3:12-21

Last week, we read about Paul's desire in Philippians Chapter 3 to know Christ by stating that He counted all as a loss for the value of knowing Jesus. He stressed that his supreme goal was to have righteousness, which only comes through faith in Jesus. In other words, Paul exchanged his work for the work of Jesus on the cross. He also said he wanted to know the power of His resurrection and to share His sufferings, even in His death. This is Christian maturity.

Our past can be a weapon. It can make us think that our future is determined by our former failures. Paul’s attitude toward pressing on to a goal is humble in that he does not consider himself perfect. He said that it was wise for him to forget things that are behind and reach forward for the prize that lies ahead, which is a divine call of God through His son, Jesus Christ. Paul also stressed the need for those who were mature to have the same mind and follow his example.

Can you see the tears streaming down Paul's face as he sends a heartfelt warning to those who do not walk properly by setting their minds on earthly things and making greed their god? He reminded the church at Philippi that a Christian’s true citizenship is in heaven, not on earth. As a matter of fact, Paul said, Jesus Christ will transform our bodies to conform to His glorious body upon His second coming.

Christian, your past does not determine your future. Stop feeding the monster that believes this. Every Biblical hero except Jesus was formerly rebellious to God in some way. Every human heart is crooked but in God's hands the crooked heart is made to draw straight lines!