One of my favourite verses in the Bible is from Phillipians where Paul says this

“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.” Phillipians 3:13.

I always thought this was great, and still do, and today God showed me another aspect of this verse: Hope, and Promise.

Events that happen in the past we are told to forget so we can focus entirely on what is ahead of us - normally used in sermons about pressing in and laying hold of something. But at the same time this race has a finishing line and a start.

Example: If you have a 100m race how do you win? By running the whole 100m. It’s not just the final step over the finishing line that wins you the medal, it’s the whole race - the start, acceleration, maintaining speed and focus, and the last exertion of pace to the finish line.

It’s the same with faith, hope and life. Our Hope is in the future because of Faith that we have from the experience of God in our Lives. These experiences that God shows us produce Faith that grows our Hope to continue forward in the race that God has for us.

God told the Israelites to do the same - remember your past, remember your story - because this story isn’t just our story, it’s His story of how He has shown His faithfulness to us.

We look forwards by remembering backwards, which enables us to to go further forwards. This then becomes a new foundation when we look backwards and we go further forwards.

It’s a case of growing the faith that God has given us by remembering what He has done for us.

Only for the King

Jx

  1. jasonmarrett posted this