Forward

 It is easy to waste away our life looking backward. At past successes when we triumphed marvelously. When people thought we were winning at life and on top of the world. We can also look back at mistakes and failures and wallow in that misery for years. There are past regrets that can consume our thoughts. We can remember past loved ones who have now departed to eternity. 

We cannot live in the past. The things that are behind us are history. Past mistakes and successes alike. People we loved who have come and gone out of our lives. We cannot bring the dead back from eternity. We cannot live in the past, tough many try. It is a miserable place to dwell. Some are stuck in pining for days gone by. Days that can never be recaptured. Days that are behind us. The past is gone. The future is not promised. We only have today. 

Paul exhorts us in [Phil 3:12-14] to forget those things that lie behind us and to press forward to those things that lie ahead. I believe God wants us to live pressing forward and not looking back. Past sins have been forgiven. We may not be able to undo the consequences of such sinning, but we can walk with God into holiness for the future. We cannot go back and undo past bad decisions. We can trust Him for wisdom to make better ones going forward. We cannot recapture long lost relationships to the grave. We can express our appreciation for those we love now and not take them for granted. 

We have today. What does pressing forward today mean for you?Are there responsibilities you need to focus on? Is there work left to be done? Is your relationship with Jesus up to date? Is there some unfulfilled task God has called you to complete? 

I urge you to not live in the past. I urge you to live today and make the most of this amazing gift God has granted us called life. I am not suggesting that life is always easy. Not by any stretch of the imagination. In the tough times, we must lean into Jesus a little harder. We trust Him to do the heavy lifting and the heavy pulling. Our faith is strengthened and our relationship with God becomes resolute. We live with all our might while we do live, as Jonathan Edwards resolved to do back in the mid 1700's. 

Press forward. Think forward. Believe God forward. There is much to believe Him for, much to experience, learn, and do for His glory. There are many reasons to push forward. To blaze trails spiritually you have never traveled before. To scale new spiritual heights you have never attained before. I will see you on the journey going forward.