12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I PRESS ON to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, 14 I PRESS ON towards the GOAL … Philippians 3
Are we PRESSING ON or are we stuck in the past (the Good Old Days – there used to be a TV show in UK by this name where the audience all wore clothes from days long gone. THEY APPEARED LIKE THEY WERE IN THE PAST)?
Both Paul and the Lord were fully committed to finishing their respective callings and I believe that this word is for the Body of Believers today. This word, ‘KEEP GOING FORWARD’, has come to me for some time.
The second shortest verse in the scriptures, also spoken by the Lord was, ‘Remember Lot’s wife!’ Luke 17:32 Jesus was warning how things would be before His return and this was His return, ‘Don’t Look Back’. In times of uncertainty people have a tendency to look back and remember only the good times. MEMORY IS FICKLE and we soon forget the hardships.
Israel were delivered by the Lord from, ‘the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt – SLAVERY’ Deuteronomy 4:20 yet when things didn’t go well for them in the wilderness they complained against Moses and the Lord.
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. Numbers 11
The world has been passing through and still is, a time of great trauma. The Lord is once again delivering people from the hands of those too strong for them. In the midst of this process it is very important that we don’t start complaining and longing for the past. The Past is Gone, never to return! God has a better future for us, but we need to trust Him and keep Pressing Forward with Him, no matter how uncomfortable and uncertain things become. We serve a Good God who is able to keep us in these troubled times and bring us through victorious.
God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.