Philippians 3:13-14

Philippians 3

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

It is clear in Scripture that while we will never be perfect, we are to continually progress in our Christian walks to become more and more like Christ. That is what Paul is saying here- he is straining forward to what lies ahead.

However, an important part of this process is what he says right before that in verse 13- forgetting what lies behind. If you are always looking backwards, you will never make the type of forward progress that you should.

In the Christian life, we look backwards to a variety of things. Sometimes we look back to our mistakes and we never move past them because we feel unqualified due to the regret, guilt, or shame we feel. Understanding Christ’s love and forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life, and this person never moves forward through that checkpoint.

Other times, we look back to what we had or who we were before Christ, coveting those things. Maybe you had a job where you made a lot of money, but God asked you to give it up for him. Maybe you were very popular but God told you not to hang out with the friends you used to have because of the damage they would do to your walk. Maybe it is the ‘fun’ you used to have at parties or with drugs, alcohol, or sex.

Whatever it is that has you looking back, it is holding you back in your relationship with God. Verse 13 literally says forget it! Instead, we are to press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Keep your eyes focused on Christ and His calling for your life. Doing this helps you become like He is and to develop into the person He wants you to be. It allows you to understand how the richness of following Christ far outweighs what the world has to offer or anything you left behind.