Monday March 22nd, 2021
Memorize: Philippians 3:13 Good News Translations (GNT)
« Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. »
Read: Philippians 3:11-16 New Living Translations (NLT)
11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
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.
15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.
If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.
16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
Message:
We have been examining the “Mathematics of Christ in You” (MCY) since March 19 and the ‘PG’ in the equation for Resistance stands for Past Glories.
Sometimes, people allow the beauty of the “good old days” to hinder Christ from working mightily through them today.
Some are so stuck in the past that they are unable to move on from there.
As we see from today’s memory verse, the Lord expects us to keep moving forward.
It doesn’t matter how glorious the past was, let it go!
Luke 17:32 says “Remember Lot’s wife”.
It is a very brief sentence but one loaded with deep meanings.
Lot’s wife looked back simply because she was undecided about her past.
Christ cannot operate in the lives of many people today for the same reason: they keep on looking back.
Occasionally, some ‘believers’ see the advert of a beer brand and say
“Hmm, thank God for salvation”.
What does that mean?
An urge to drink?
When some believers are offended, they say
“If not that I have given my life to Christ, I would have shown you that I am a tiger.”
Oh, so you are having thoughts of fighting with the fellow?
Are you really sure that your life has been given to Christ?
If you keep looking at the past, you might end up going back.
In Luke 9:62NKJV, Jesus Christ said clearly:
« … “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. »
When you study the armor of God as listed in Ephesians 6:13-17, you will see that there is no protection for the back.
This is simply because you must not look back.
The moment you turn around, you have given the enemy a very clear chance to destroy you.
True soldiers of Christ, those who God will dwell in and do exploits through do not look back. They forget the things that are behind and press on for more.
They spend time studying the word of God and live by it.
They pray for long hours and are committed to spreading the gospel.
They don’t go round boasting about what they achieved yesterday, instead they are always talking about how much more they want to do for God.
Determine to do more for God from today.
Key point: Forget the past, press forward for more of God.
Author: Pst E. A Adeboye
Texte edited by Naomie
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