Daily Devotionals

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

We are not supposed to look back at the past, but instead to focus on what we can do today and in the days ahead, to live for Christ until we meet with Him. The apostle Paul said. ‘You have been told how I used to live when I was devoted to the Jewish religion, how I persecuted without mercy the church of God and did my best to destroy it’ (Gal. 1:13). Paul’s focus was on forward momentum, not prior mistakes. The past can weigh us down like a load of heavy baggage. We’ve all had negative things happen to us; we’ve all made mistakes in the past. And it is easy to go through life filled with disappointments and regrets. But you can’t move forward if you’re always looking backwards. 

As long as you’re living in regret and disappointment, focused on the negative things of the past, it’s going to keep you from the bright future God has in store for you. We can’t move ahead if our thoughts and vision are focused on the past. Paul had a clear goal: being in heaven with the Lord. He looked forward to the ultimate reward for his faithful service. He had the goal of pursuing Christ until he meets with Him after this life. This is an important focus for believers today as well. You can’t do anything about the past, but you can do something about right now. No matter where you are or what challenges you’re facing, you can start living your best life now if you’ll get rid of your disappointments and regrets. Let go of the setbacks, disappointments, and mistakes from the past, and press forward.

• Thank you for reading our devotional on “Press Forward”.