Forgetting #2154

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12–14, NKJV)

If remembering helps us fortify our resolve in the present, forgetting helps us forge our path to the future. Forgetting is often about not letting past achievements and failures to get in the way of our aspirations and objectives as we move toward our heavenly goal. Paul chose to “forget” his previous advancements in Judaism and the confidence in the flesh they could prompt (Phil. 3:3-8). (These advancements led him to persecute Christians.) By counting them as “rubbish,” he was determined to “gain Christ” (v. 8). Paul also chose to “forget” his progress as a Christian (Phil. 3:9-11). He refused to become apathetic and neglectful in his faith; He had not yet attained “to the resurrection from the dead” (v. 11). His service to Christ was not complete (perfected, v. 12). He would keep moving forward toward the eternal prize while blessed with the “righteousness which is from God by faith” (Phil. 3:9, 12; Gal. 2:20). Like Paul, let us not put our confidence in the flesh and be deterred from “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (v. 14). May we live for heaven while we live on earth.

God’s Plan for the Earth #2011

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10, NKJV)

What is God’s plan for the earth? Jehovah’s Witnesses say the earth will become a paradise on which “God will bless obedient people with perfect health and everlasting life” (“What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?”). The Seventh-day Adventists claim, “God will recreate our once-stained world, and live with us forever. We will finally achieve our true potential, living in the love and joy for which God created us” (“The New Earth”)? Modern advocates (N. T. Wright, Douglas Moo, and John Mark Hicks) have restored these views of the earth’s future. This New Creation Theology is being accepted and advanced by some brethren, but it is not new at all. It is an old false doctrine that reconstructs the “new heavens and a new earth” with forced definitions and materialistic narratives (2 Pet. 3:13). It says we will not go to heaven. Instead, heaven will come down to earth. Let Peter settle the matter. On the day of the Lord’s return, 1) The heavens will pass away with a great noise. The sky and space will perish, even as the “old things” of sin “passed away” when we became new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). 2) The elements will melt with fervent heat. The fundamental elements that form the material world will evaporate. 3) The earth and its works will be burned up. God’s fiery judgment will disintegrate the planet and everything on it (2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 11-12). A new habitation (“new heavens and a new earth”) – “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” will be the eternal home of the redeemed (2 Pet. 3:13). New Creation Theology is old error.

“If the Lord wills…” #1278

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13–15, NKJV)

As a new year dawns, we take stock on the past while anticipating the future. The past year records our successes and failures, our struggles and victories, our joys and sorrows. The new year holds out hope of better days and greater accomplishments. Resolutions are made, plans are laid, and the work to achieve them begins. Yet, life is uncertain, and life is brief. A life well-lived is a life that depends upon God; a life that acknowledges God, and puts God’s will first each day. Better to live with this resolve, “Thy will be done,” than to live as if our will ultimately makes it so. It is the height of hubris to ignore God in one’s life. As you celebrate the new year, and plan great things to come, remember the Lord’s will. Do His will first, and you will be blessed, whatever the new year brings (Matthew 6:33-34).

Press Toward the Goal #765

13  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14, NKJV)

Some people seem to think all their spiritual struggles should end the moment they become a Christian. Others have trouble letting go of their past, allowing past sins to envelope them with shame, guilt and a sense of abiding failure. Neither of these viewpoints are healthy – or scriptural. The respected apostle Paul still had daily spiritual struggles (1 Cor. 9:27). But, he would not be immobilized by his past sins of which he had been forgiven in Christ (1 Tim. 1:12-16). Christians press onward and upward to seize the prize of victory. Paul remained faithful to God’s call, confident of faith’s triumph in Christ Jesus. He would not be disappointed (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Like him, let us strive daily with the full energy of faith to press forward in the cause of Christ, ever-diligent, ever-faithful. The eternal prize is before us. Victory in Christ is assured.