One Thing I Do
Oct 27, 2018 14:18:43 GMT -6
Post by Gene Whitehurst on Oct 27, 2018 14:18:43 GMT -6
“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)
Paul is focused on advancing in his Christian life. He is pressing on to a goal. He is focused on one thing. This one thing has two parts: forgetting and reaching. He is intentionally forgetting those things of his past that are hindrances to progress. These include his losses, his blunders, his sins, his sorrows, AND his successes. Paul is forgetting – continuous action – it is a process.
Paul wants us to know in this verse that he (Paul) is not going to be bridled, restrained, worried, or distracted because of his past. This means that discomforting stuff may still be in his memory, but he deals with them by intentionally dismissing them and pressing on to higher ground. Do not allow your past to haunt you. God has thrown them behind His back. So should you. And however much you make up your mind to forget, that is not enough. So…
The second part of the one thing is to be reaching forward. Again, this is a process. And Paul calls forgetting and reaching – one thing. The way to forget a disabling past is to be occupied with Christ, i.e., reaching forward. Forgetting and reaching forward work together. Keep your head above the past and press on to the goal. Paul’s goal was ‘that I may know Him.’
And reaching forward demands that you ‘Consider Jesus.’ “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water…When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.” (Psa 63:1, 6-7)
To return to the beginning, Paul was practicing one thing. He is engaged in a life-long effort. But he had the victory guaranteed because he practiced ‘one thing.’ He was forgetting prior hindrances and reaching forward. Is your past inhibiting you? There is (this is) the answer!
Praise the Lord for His wonder and His willingness to work in clarifying in our minds how to progress in our Christian life.
Gene Whitehurst
Paul is focused on advancing in his Christian life. He is pressing on to a goal. He is focused on one thing. This one thing has two parts: forgetting and reaching. He is intentionally forgetting those things of his past that are hindrances to progress. These include his losses, his blunders, his sins, his sorrows, AND his successes. Paul is forgetting – continuous action – it is a process.
Paul wants us to know in this verse that he (Paul) is not going to be bridled, restrained, worried, or distracted because of his past. This means that discomforting stuff may still be in his memory, but he deals with them by intentionally dismissing them and pressing on to higher ground. Do not allow your past to haunt you. God has thrown them behind His back. So should you. And however much you make up your mind to forget, that is not enough. So…
The second part of the one thing is to be reaching forward. Again, this is a process. And Paul calls forgetting and reaching – one thing. The way to forget a disabling past is to be occupied with Christ, i.e., reaching forward. Forgetting and reaching forward work together. Keep your head above the past and press on to the goal. Paul’s goal was ‘that I may know Him.’
And reaching forward demands that you ‘Consider Jesus.’ “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water…When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.” (Psa 63:1, 6-7)
To return to the beginning, Paul was practicing one thing. He is engaged in a life-long effort. But he had the victory guaranteed because he practiced ‘one thing.’ He was forgetting prior hindrances and reaching forward. Is your past inhibiting you? There is (this is) the answer!
Praise the Lord for His wonder and His willingness to work in clarifying in our minds how to progress in our Christian life.
Gene Whitehurst