Pastor Welton Watson, Central Baptist Church
In Philippians 3:13, 14 we find these words that can help us as we enter into a new year. Paul says it like this: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” I believe Paul is saying here, “I have not yet arrived.” He has not reached the goal that God has set for him. It seems that there are many things in the past that cry for our attention that need to be left in the past. We sometimes hear people say, “I used to do this or that,” but the question is, what are you doing right now? There are too many things crowding our lives today to worry about yesterday or tomorrow. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Seems like the Lord is saying, “Live for today, because tomorrow will have sufficient troubles to deal with when it gets here, and yesterday is gone, and nothing done then can be undone.”
The Scripture tells us what to do with those unaccomplished goals: “forgetting those things which are behind.” We ought not drag our past failures into the future with us, but forget it, set new goals for God and start over. I’m glad God is a God of second chances, and for me, third and fourth, and on and on. The Lord never gives up on his children. If we have besetting sins that keep plaguing us, we have this Scripture to encourage us: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I have found that the Lord wants to forgive more than we want forgiveness.
Then Paul says, “Reaching forth unto those things which are before.” This means the things I can do now, those things that are right here before me. God has put before us many tasks that we can accomplish right now, and Jesus says in Matthew 9:37, 38 “Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Finally, there is a mark to press toward, “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” There is no greater or higher call than the call of God upon our lives. May we do the work of God in 2023!!!