A Slave to Your Past No More – Reach out for the Prize

Daily Devotional – Thursday, September 2, 2021

…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead…

Philippians 3:13 (NKJV)

The first time we meet Saul of Tarsus, he is guarding the clothes of Stephen’s killers (Acts 7:58). Motivated by that event, Saul “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” (Acts 8:3).

Then Saul met Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). He turned from hunter to prey. His former friends now wanted him dead. His sufferings are summarized in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28:

“…in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often… I was beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked; in perils of waters, robbers, my own countrymen, Gentiles, the city, the wilderness, the sea, false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness…”

Paul’s experiences before meeting Jesus could have filled him with guilt and feelings of unworthiness. His experiences after accepting Jesus could have plunged him into self-pity. Whichever the case, if Paul had allowed it, his past could have dragged him down.

By the grace of God, however, Paul adopted a positive attitude towards his past. He said, “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead…” (Philippians 3:13).

Like Paul, do not allow your past to imprison you. In Christ, you will wear your scars proudly because they made you who you are today. Your painful history will motivate you “towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).

Lord Jesus, help me to leave my past behind and cooperate with you towards eternal life.