Daily Devotional

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,"

Phillipians 3:13

When the Apostle Paul wrote this passage to the Philippians, he tackled the challenge of handling both the past and the future. Faced with this challenge, he took a stand, forgot the past, and moved on to a future with Christ.

No one had more reason than Paul to blame themselves and remain stuck in the past. When he was called Saul, he persecuted Christians, resulting in the death of many of them. Keeping hold of that memory would have been a burden on Paul preventing him from moving forward towards the goal, doing God's will, and experiencing the genuine transformative power of Christ Jesus.

Forgetting this past was only possible with a true conversion in Christ - which formed the fruits of the spirit - and the total transformation of his mind. Only in this way was Paul able to experience and prove the good, pleasing and perfect will of God in his life. Like Paul, if you are in Christ, you are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!

Forgetting

• Feelings of guilt prevent us from moving forward. Ask God for forgiveness for your sins, and don't look back. Jesus has already paid the price, so go and sin no more.
• Avoid situations that remind you of the past when you were distant from Jesus. In these cases, remember your conversion and how much that decision has changed you.

Moving on

• Read the Word of God. It is stimulating, it feeds the soul and strengthens your faith. The Bible is the nourishment you need to keep moving forward.
• Put God into your plans. Seek Him first and all other things will surely be provided for.

Pray:

Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for transforming my life. I want to press on towards the goal, growing in spirit and in truth. Remove the evil arrows of accusation from me. In you I have found forgiveness and salvation, and for that I am grateful! In Jesus' name, amen!

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

For any Jew, it was madness to imagine that the most despicable and shameful kind of death, crucified on a cross, would be how the Messiah would grant salvation. Likewise, it was absurd for the Greeks, lovers of wisdom - "philosophers", to consider that something was more powerful than their knowledge.

For the Romans and many other Gentiles, nothing was more desirable than the power of wealth and possessions. So too today, many people cling to religiosity, intellectuality, or ambitions for more material goods, as their goal in life.

Many people continue to regard the message of the cross as foolishness, and so they choose to carry on clinging to human resources. But the cross is the power of God for believers! Make no mistake, no amount of human goodness, wisdom, or wealth can give you guarantees in this life or the next. There is only one way to have a meaningful life, which is through faith in Jesus Christ, in His redemptive work on the cross. Don't dismiss the power of the message of the cross!

Lay your riches at the feet of Jesus

• What is most valuable to you in this life?
• Reflect for a moment: to what causes have dedicated your strength, your time, and your life?
• Pray and give yourself completely to the Lord, without reservation.
• Don't waste time on the trivialities of life. Concentrate on what is most important.
• Leave your "crowns", personal merits, possessions and titles at the foot of the cross. Recognize that Jesus is your greatest wealth!
• Read the Bible every day. Through it you will get to know Jesus better and find your reason for being!

Pray:

Lord God, thank you for sending Jesus to give us life, through that terrible cross. Help me to have Christ as my priority and my greatest value in this life. I leave at your feet everything that wants to take your place in my heart. Forgive my attachment to the insignificant things of this life. Be my joy, sustenance and greatest wealth always. And teach me to love the message of the cross and share it wherever I am. In Jesus' name, amen!