Today is the first day of the new year.
And many of us were looking forward to the end of 2020. For this has been a hard year for a lot of people.
And for many, the first day of the new year is a time to make New Year resolutions. It’s a time to reflect on… where our life has been, where it is… and where we want it to be, because we realize that our attitudes and our actions will have an effect on the direction our life can go.
So, let’s see if there is any advice in Scripture that can help us start [off] this new year right.
And our scripture verses for today are, Philippians 3:12-14.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Now these verses are a process that we should go through daily…
However, if we are willing take these verses to heart - this would be a great way to start the New Year!
Notice, that he first thing Paul states is that he hasn’t already obtained perfection.
And I want to emphasize that there is a big difference between perfection and flaws.
We all know that God doesn’t condone our sinfulness… but He knows what effect sin has on our lives, which is why He sent His Son into the world to redeem us.
God doesn’t expect perfection… but He does expect obedience… and true Christian obedience flows from a heart of gratitude for the grace we have received from the Lord.
In verse 13 we’re told, “Forgetting what is behind…”
And this is the key... Paul is explaining to the Philippian’s, that there can be no significant improvement in his life until he forgets what is behind.
What he is saying is that we must forgive and forget what lies behind before we can move forward.
And this is what each of us must also do…
Why continue to carry around the problems and sins when we can take them to the Father…
All they do is drag us down and make us feel like nothing can change in our lives.
So, I encourage you to stop
for a minute and reflect on this last year… and give up any ugliness
that is hidden and place it on the cross… and walk in the freedom of that
forgiveness.
Then don’t look back again! …Never look back again! …God has forgiven and forgotten our sins and it is time for us to forget them too.
And then we need to continue with Paul’s instruction. After all, Paul says that now that he has forgotten what lies behind, he “strains toward what is ahead.”
In other words, He presses on! The imagery here is of a runner straining for the finish line.
So, as we look to the coming year, don’t be dragged along through time… But to strain toward goals and plans that you want to make for this coming year...
This is where successful resolutions are made.
After we have let go of the dead weight of the past, now, we can move forward toward the goals for the new year.
And the last point I want to make is in verse 14.
He tells us to… “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
It will be tough to get our resolutions going right if our spiritual life is not in place.
We must always put spiritual things first.
Just as Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Always have your goals and plans bathed in prayer, seeking the Lord’s will first.
Life Happens…
I want to encourage you to read Philippians 3:12-14 and allow them to be the guiding words for you today and throughout the new year.
May God richly bless your New Year!
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