Pressing On!


Philippians 3:12-14 (New Living Translation)
(Pressing toward the Goal) 12." I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
I heard a young woman say "well, I have messed up again". She had made some decisions that she regretted, and was very troubled. My heart immediately went out to her as I tried to reassure her that everyone "messes up", and it happens way to often to all of us. The key was to ask God each day to help us make the right choices! As you read the scripture above, we are told we never reach that perfect place, that we must stay focused and keep pressing on. The only way we will attain this is to "forget the past". When we ask God to forgive us, he not only forgives, but He forgets. It is so hard for us to grasp this truth, because we won't forgive ourselves. Are there consequences to our wrong decisions? Of course there is! but we learn from them and this is part of the "pressing on". Don't dwell on the past! Realize that you are forgiven and move on. Restoration seems to be the biggest job our Lord has with us, and he is so gracious and merciful. He loves us so much, and I think that is also very hard for us to understand. My prayer for this young woman, myself and everyone who reads this is accept forgiveness, and press on. We are not alone, He will be with us every step of this journey! One of these days we will see Jesus, and it will be worth it all.