“Not that I have already attained [the resurrection of the dead], 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. 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, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:12–14 NKJV).
Brothers and sisters, Happy New Year! As we begin another year filled with uncertainty, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on things that are certain—the goodness of God, the promise of God, and the Word of God. As we reflect on the truths of Christ, may He guide us in following Him more closely this next year.
Let’s be honest. Most of us tend to make New Years resolutions without really intending to passionately pursue such resolutions. Or, if we do have such strong intentions, we still only manage to fulfill our resolutions for a few weeks at most.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with making resolutions. Furthermore, we do not need to necessarily feel guilty for failing to meet our resolutions—depending on what they are, of course! I have made silly resolutions in the past, as well as “noble” resolutions. My record of resolution-keeping is hardly exemplary. But that hasn’t stopped me from making a resolution for this year, involving a spiritual pursuit. Nevertheless, my point in this message is not to direct anyone to make specific resolutions that aren’t found in Scripture.
As I mentioned above, I believe that the only hope for another uncertain year is to cling to the bedrock of Christ. We need to dive into His Word and hold fast. As Paul writes in Phil 3:12–14, we need to do three things. If a specific resolution helps you pursue what Paul discusses, then by all means go for it! But the most important thing is what the Lord has shown us in His Word.
First, Paul shows us by his example to forget. Obviously, we will remember the past. But we are not to dwell on the past. We are not to constantly look back, either regretfully or fondly, at our life before Christ. Nor are we to fall into the trap of thinking that all of God’s great work lies in the past! A.W. Tozer said, “The man who is constantly reciting the evils of his unconverted days is looking in the wrong direction. He is like a man trying to run a race while looking back over his shoulder.” (A.W. Tozer, in The Alliance Weekly/Witness, 1960). And see the principle set forth in Isaiah 43:18–19: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” We do not dwell on the past, but look to the future, because God is still at work!
But we don’t merely forget. Second, Paul says that we are to “reach forward.” Brothers and sisters, we are to set our minds on things above, where Christ is (Colossians 3:1–4). We are to look to Christ, looking forward to what He will do in and through us, and to our eternal future with Him! We keep 1 John 3:2 before us: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Look to Christ and look to eternity!
Finally, Paul tells us to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Brothers and sisters, we have eternity with the Lord ahead of us. Let us live in light of this truth and aim to please God in whatever we do! We do not do this to try and earn God’s acceptance, for we already have that if we are in Christ! But out of love for God, we press on for His glory!
My prayer for us all is that we would live for Christ more and more in this New Year, showing Him to everyone we encounter. Let us rest in the Good News of Jesus—that we are accepted, loved, and saved by God’s grace alone, not anything we do—including keeping resolutions! But in light of the grace of God, let us press forward to more and more Christlikeness!
