Devotions based on week 8 of Joy in the Journey: Growth (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 3:13-14 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.
No one wins a race by looking over their shoulder.
To win a race, one must stay focused on the goal.
Looking over your shoulder slows you down. If you have competed in a track event, you perhaps have experienced or witnessed the detriment of a runner looking over their shoulder to see who was coming, only to lose stride and lose the race. In that same context, you see the effort of the athlete to give their best effort to cross the finish line, sometimes at sheer exhaustion and collapse after they finish.
Paul uses this picture for our life as Christians.
The amazing difference is that it doesn’t matter when you finish as the goal and prize are already secure in Christ. It matters THAT you finish!
Paul offers one key with two parts:
Forget what is behind.
Stop looking over your shoulder and allow the distractions of the past to hamper your spiritual growth and momentum forward!
What are those things that we see when we look behind? All the things Satan wants us to see to distract us from the race of faith.
He wants us to see past sin and feel like God will never forgive us for them. He wants guilt and insecurity and feeling of doubt to keep us ineffective as a Christian.
He wants us to see our past and regret that we didn’t spend more time in the Word or live out our Christian life in a more intentional way.
He wants us to see the people we hurt with our sins and when we lived according to our sinful nature that only thought of ourselves. He wants us to feel like God’s grace would never be enough to cover all that.
He wants us to see a path so cluttered with sin that we try to go back and fix everything with our effort and performance rather than relying on the forgiveness Christ gives.
FORGET what is behind!
Why? Because our present is not defined by our past sins and failures, but by the every present and real grace of God. Reread the first part of Philippians 3. Grace is real. Grace enables us to do the second part of the key to finishing:
STRAIN to what is ahead!
This phrase indicates very intentional and very intense effort to put into practice every gift of grace and live out every purpose of grace. The Christian life is one of joy and blessing, even in challenges and discouragement. We don’t give up. We keep moving even when tired. We know that the Lord Jesus and faithful Christians are cheering us on (Hebrews 12). We know the goal and we stay focused on it.
Over the years, I have run a few Tough Mudder events. These events are not timed, but simply a challenge to finish. The race is filled with obstacles that test your mental capacity, your strength and your courage. But even when tired, you strain forward. Why? Because a headband is waiting at the end for you, given only to those that finish.
A Tough Mudder finish is nowhere close to the motivation of experiencing heaven. But life is filled with obstacles that test our faith, our minds, our courage and strength. Finish exhausted, but finish. The welcome in heaven is well worth the intentional and intense effort.
Apply: What of your past must you let go and leave behind you? What does it look like for you to strain to what is ahead? Find one way today to put the focus of heaven in your heart and mind so you don’t give up the race of faith!
Prayer: Lord, give us strength and courage to run the race of grace well with intentionality and intensity. We keep focused on heaven and look forward to the day we fall exhausted into your arms in heaven! AMEN.