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Pursuing the Ultimate Goal - Part 2 of 6

MOVE ON
Philippians 3:13-14 - Brothers, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Graduation is a time of moving, or moving forward from what is behind you.  What's behind you, whether good or bad will be gone.  If you were the star athlete or smart kid in high school or college, that won't matter once you move on to the next phase of life.  Going from high school to college or work will always be a major change.  Teams don't dwell on that past, and neither should individuals.  If you lose the football game on Friday night, then Monday morning you begin preparing for the next opponent.  It's smart to study the film from the last game like we can learn from the past but then we have to let it go and move on.

Paul had all the reason in the world to let his past hold him back, even his present.  He wrote the letter to the Philippians while in prison.  But back before becoming a Christian, he had hunted and persecuted them.  1 Timothy 12:16 says "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  Paul called himself the worst of sinners, and think about it, how much worse can it get that murdering Christians?  But yet God loved him and had so much mercy that he was willing to forgive him for killing his children, his family.  Do we offer that kind of forgiveness and grace to the people around us?  Do we have patience like that?

If you were not the star athlete, the smart kid, or didn't get the girl or guy you wanted in high school or college, well once you reach graduation that's in the past.  Everything starts fresh with a clean slate to move forward into a newer brighter future today.  Let go of the past, any bad relationships that have held you back.  Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Now doesn't all of that sound promising...Prosper, Not Harm, Hope, Future.  But that does not mean that bad things will not happen in life.  But often times what we see as bad, God is using for good.  Dr. Charles Stanley said in a recent sermon "Whatever drives you to God is good".  So while we may not think this recent health scare, financial woe, or death of a loved one is a good thing; if it drives us more into prayer, deeper into God's Word, more into church, or closer to our spouse and loved ones, then God is using it as a good thing in our life.

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