Forgetting What Lies Behind

Each year when the month of December arrives the world collectively begins to look back at what has transpired in the past year. I don’t know about you but one of the things I do is pull out my journal and peek at last year’s resolutions. It’s typically a pretty bleak moment followed by laughter as I realize I didn’t keep any of them. It’s normal to look the last year over and think about the good times and the bad. However, there is a lot to be said for looking back and learning from the past. It is from these mistakes that we learn what not to do next year and where we also typically get next year’s resolutions. But the Bible often gives us a different point of view.

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… Philippians 3:13

Moving on from the past is a big and challenging thing. The past two to three years have been really hard on all of us. COVID-19 has radically changed the way we each live our lives and I know that I am ready to put another disease ravaged year behind me and dive into whatever is next. I think that we can loosely say that is what Paul was getting at. Leaving the past where it belongs and always, constantly, looking forward to how we can serve God better today, tomorrow, next week, and next year.

The beauty of a relationship in Christ is that we do have the ability to put our pasts behind us and become something new.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

We can look back at the strife and trials and leave them there. God has made us new creatures in Him, and He is ready to use us. One of the words gospel preachers like to use is regeneration. Which is just a fancy way of saying reborn or made new. Ephesians 2:5 says, “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – …” Being made new in Him is the greatest gift because it means we can say a final goodbye to whatever sin and strife we encountered the past hour, day, week, month, or year.

Isaiah 43:18-19 is particularly special to me. It was my verse for the year for 2021 and is on the back of my favorite Bible.

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how God works in our lives. How he takes our brokenness and failure and somehow turns it into something worthwhile. This new thing he is doing isn’t stagnant, or slow in coming. It springs forth! As you turn to look over your shoulder at 2022, I encourage you to make your peace with whatever good and bad it held. I encourage you to look at the words of the Old and New Testament and remember that it is our future that matters. God never ceases working in and on us.

Everyone likes to have something to look forward to. Whether it be vacation, a new book or movie coming out, a concert, or a date. Having something to look forward to can help keep a positive outlook on life. Exodus 14:15-16 gives great perspective on this topic.

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

God is basically shaking his head at the Israelites. They’ve done nothing but complain while He has done nothing but provide for them and He simply says to them, “Go forward…” That was it, that was all they had to do. When it comes to living the Christian life it’s easy to feel like God is being silent when we cry out for help. But His word offers us all the truth we need to live for Him! The idea of moving forward might seem a little simplistic, but it really is as easy as that. The blessing of the Holy Spirit allows us to discern what the next right move is. When the Israelites did what God asked, and kept moving forward, they crossed the Red Sea and Pharaoh was defeated. By simply taking the next right step everything fell into place the way God had intended.

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27

This verse in Proverbs is along the same line, except this time we are told, “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you…” Essentially, this is the same idea we found in Exodus. When our focus is on God and we are faithfully marching down his path, our way will be sure. What an encouragement this section is! In the Pauline epistles we are told many times how we should live our lives and those lists can feel daunting. (Eph 4:8, Phil 2:1-5, Col 3:5-11) To put it simply, Paul exhorts us to live humbly, to put away sin, and to love one another as Christ loved us.

Philippians 3:13-14 is a powerhouse duo for the new year.

“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 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul continually puts the past behind him, which for him was a past full of killing God’s people and living self-righteously. Instead, he is now pressing on toward the goal, which is the upward call of God. The Old Testament verses encouraged us to walk forward and to look forward, and finally this verse encourages not to just walk and look forward, but to strive towards that upward call. In life we have two kinds of relationships, vertical and horizontal. All our relationships fall into the horizontal category except for one, our relationship with God. I bring this analogy up because I think it makes this verse more powerful. We are striving towards the goal…. Of the upward call. That upward call brings our vertical relationship into focus. God desires a relationship with each one of us that results in spending eternity with him. So, look forward this year, keep a heavenly mindset and live for Christ in each moment!

O soul are you weary and troubled, No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in his wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of his glory and grace.

His word shall not fail you he promised, Believe him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell.

As I was reading over some hymns and songs with this topic in mind, I came across Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. Looking towards His heavenly face, the things of earth grow strangely dim. What a beautiful thought! I can’t help but feel that these lyrics perfectly weave together my thoughts concerning Philippians 3. For us to be able to live out this idea of leaving the past behind and moving forward, and I mean truly forward to new things, something very special is required. Salvation. The words of this hymn are very succinct. Life is found in Christ, a perfect salvation given to a dying world.

These words were penned in 1922 by Heather Lemmel based on Isaiah 45:22,

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

2000 years ago these words were true, and they remain true to us today. Each year I choose a verse for the year, whether it be something I want to work on (John 1:16) or a truth I know I’ll be clinging to (Isaiah 43:19). It is something that speaks to me, and I know I’ll remember the whole year. This incredible verse, Isaiah 45:22, would be an amazing year verse, especially if you have yet to trust God with your soul. Christianity is sometimes tied up in a neat little bow made up of a handful of things. Go to church, serve others, work hard, be honest, etc. While these are all good things, please don’t misunderstand where I am going with this, they are worth nothing to God. God desires a personal relationship with each of us, one that is life changing and life giving, all in one. (Isaiah 64:6)

At the heart of Christmas is the truth of what Christ’s birth meant to the world. His birth meant that his death could occur, and thus his resurrection. Life without a personal relationship with God is a very dull life indeed. The line “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim” goes both ways. Without that personal relationship with our Savior, we are stuck in a perpetually dim world that has no light or hope in it. We are each given weary, troubled, souls for the very purpose of driving us into God’s arms. The only light to be found is in a look at Him.

I referenced 2 Corinthians 5:17 earlier in this post when talking about old things passing away. How incredible it would be if someone reading this left their old self back in 2022 and walked into newness of life eternal with Christ? The whole verse says this;

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

My prayer for anyone reading this, Christian or not, is that you would take a minute and look at your own heart. Where do you stand before God? Have you become a new creation in Him? If you’re already walking with Christ by your side, I encourage you to remember the moment you met Him, with your sins heavy on you, when you realized the only way to heaven was through Him and none of you. Remember that moment and thank God again for His grace. Then, do what the last lines of our song say, take that perfect salvation and share it with the dying world.

The idea of the Lord refining us is an Old Testament idea. However, we know that God is working in us continually after salvation through the Holy Spirit. There are several ways to refine metals, but the most common way is the process of holding the metal in the middle and hottest part of the fire so that all the impurities are burned away. This is exactly what God does in our lives. He puts us through the furnace of affliction for His own sake. (Isaiah 48:11, 1 Peter 1:6-7)

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Isaiah 48:10-11

“For you, O God, have tested us; you have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” Psalm 66:10-12

In Psalm 66, the Psalmist speaks of what the people went through to be refined; “Through fire and through water…” In Isaiah we read that we are refined in the “furnace of affliction.” Both these verses have the same well-known point that is brought out in the New Testament. The Christian life is not easy, trials are promised, afflictions are practically a guarantee, and the purpose of it all is to refine us to be more like Christ. James 1:2-3 states,

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

This verse is very clear; when, not if, you meet trials, count it as a joy. The Greek, hotan (ὅταν), literally means on occasion of, in the case of, when, and whenever. The question is not will hard things happen, but when will they happen. The beauty of this process, however, is that on the other side of refinement is a beautiful, precious, thing made to specification by the incredible Creator.

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego comes to mind when on the topic of fiery furnaces. We read of this story in Daniel 3, when King Nebuchadnezzar builds his statue and commands that all people bow down to it. These 3 men, who were exiles from Israel, refused to do so. Because of their refusal the king had them thrown in the fiery furnace. It is an incredible story of God’s provision and how He used trials to refine these men. They stood against the king and against the temptation to just bow down and not cause trouble. The most shocking part to me is that they weren’t certain that God would save them from the furnace, so they gave an either/or statement to Nebuchadnezzar.

“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18

These 3 men experienced an awful lot of afflictions, including exactly what our passage from Isaiah speaks of in the furnace. As we go into the new year keep them in mind. Although trials and afflictions are promised to us, we also have the promise of a wonderful Creator who is refining us through the process!

As Christians we are guaranteed life on the narrow path, one that will be filled with trials and tribulations (James 1:2-3) but also with a better hope (Heb 7:19) As we walk into the new year, many of us will make goals and resolutions we want to work on and keep in the coming year. From exercising more and eating healthier, to reading our Bibles every day and improving our prayer lives. Whatever you want to work on particularly, I encourage you to make a goal that is related to your spiritual life as well. Disciplining ourselves can feel daunting, but in making these goals add a note to have grace with yourself as you walk through each day.

Time and again in the Pauline Epistles we are given lists of what and how we should live our lives.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer…” Romans 12:12

Paul highlights what the Christian life is to be made up of in a few words. Gratitude, prayer, rejoicing in all circumstances; they cover the major bases of life. These lists highlight what it means to be a true believer and how to live out one’s life for Christ. It is a tall order, and impossible to fill, but with the grace of God we aim to reach these goals.

Galatians tells us that, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” In the Christian life we are told to do two things vital to our growth. I hear it in teaching messages, I read it on blogs, I tell those I mentor it as well. These two things are to read and pray. Prayer is how we communicate with God and reading His word is how He communicates with us. If we have one, but not the other, we will always be having a one-sided conversation. Relationships are built on communication, so I hope you agree with me when I say that reading and praying are the most important things we can be doing to further our walk with God. But more than that, with just these two simple things we can live a full and glorifying life.

Here are some practical ideas for goals for this year. Choose a chapter and memorize it over the course of the year. If you want to be more consistent about reading, choose a reading plan to stick to. The ESV Bible app has many studies available that are yearlong or simply a few weeks. There are loads of hard copy Bible-in-a-year options available as well. Cover to cover, chronological, or a combination of Old Testament and New Testament. Block the same time in your schedule every day and spend that time praying. Start a prayer journal and write down one thing every day. You get the idea. These goals don’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming activities.

Studies show that in order to read the whole Bible in one year it takes 12-15 minutes of reading each day. When I learned that statistic I was blown away. I can definitely do that. There are still days where I miss my reading and I am required to catch-up or sometimes I just keep plugging along. Other days I listen to the Bible in a year podcast and that makes it easy. There is something for everyone and all it takes is a little thought and planning to put things into action.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

This verse is well known to many of us and often rolls off the tongue without a second thought. God has told us what is good and what He requires of us. It is a very basic summation of much of the New Testament and the simplicity of it is beautiful. The Bible is perspicuous, meaning it is plainly understood. Those of us who grew up in Christian homes often forget this, as we dive into mountains of commentaries and listen to podcasts and sermons. But what is truly the heart of God for us? What purpose does His word serve? It is given to us to use, to understand, to lead us to Christ.

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible’s purpose is to lead us to Christ, to equip us to do His work, and to teach us how to be more like Him.

As you read and study this year, I encourage you to get a new perspective and remember that scripture is beneficial in every aspect of life. God isn’t trying to confuse you, although I know it feels like that sometimes. Use verses like Micha 6:8, Ephesians 4:8, or 1 Thessalonians 5:16 as your guide in how to live! Leaving the past behind us, looking forward, keeping our focus on Christ, and understanding how He works to refine us. In this time of unrest we live in I don’t think anyone could say it better, so I’ll just close out today’s post with the words of Micah 6:8 again. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

xo,

Ais