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Straining Toward What is Ahead
(Php3:10-16)
God is the beginning (Jn1:2).
He is the beginning of time and
The beginning of creation (Col1:17).
Faith is seeing the end through the beginning, and
The life of this faith is forgetting is what is behind and straining toward what is ahead and pressing on.
While man lives in the present moment,
It is only an extension of the past
Thus what he knows is only the past and can never know what lies ahead.
Many are restless because of their past and
As such the misery of man is lacking the power to be set free from it.
The phrase, "in the beginning, appears twice in the Bible:
In Genesis 1:1 which refers to the beginning of all things, and
In John 1:1 which refers to the eternal "time of God that is before all things, before time.
The time that began with the light became past
As it became night and day and days began to to add up (Ge1:4-5).
Nevertheless, God finished His work of creation in six days (Ge2:2-3) and
On the seventh day He entered His eternal rest without any regret.
Although after he sinned, Adam made covering for himself out of fig leaves and
Hid among the trees of the Garden (Ge3:7-10, 21),
When he confessed his sin God clothed him in garment of skin, showing
How He would later cover man's past.
When Cain pleaded to God to save him and
Shake off the blood cry of his brother after killing him,
God gave him a mark of salvation (Ge4:8-10).
Following God's instruction to leave his country and his father's household to
Go to the land God showed him and crossed the river,
Abraham became the father of the Hebrews, the father of faith (Ge12:1).
Lot's wife, however, turned back to Sodom that was being covered by brimstone fire and
Became a pillar of salt (Ge19:24-26).
After burying their slavery of 430 years in the Red Sea and following the pillar of fire
All the Israelites fell in the desert and died without entering Canaan for
They looked back to Egypt.
However, the sacrifice they gave every year in the sanctuary
Reminded them of sin (He10:3), and
The Law was the law that bound them to the past (Jn8:3).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would put an end to time by ending His flesh (He1:2) and
Release men who were bound to the past
Because of the sins they committed while in their flesh (Mt20:28) for
He is the God who was before time coming in the flesh, in time (Jn1:1-2, 14).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Put an end to the time that began by the Father (Is44:6l He1:1-2);
2) Eternally condemned the devil who cannot forget what is behind for he has no flesh (1Jn3:8); and
3) With His blood buried the sins of men in the past (Col2:12-14).
The Father raised Him up and
Jesus ascended to the heavenly throne.
The Spirit of truth (Jn14:17, 14:26, 16:13) to those who
Believe in the name Yeshua and have been set from their past (Jn8:32).
He lets them have an eternal new beginning (Is43:18; Rm8:1-2).
Therefore the man of the Spirit puts every effort to
Forget what is behind and staring toward what is ahead through:
1) Baptism ” from the slavery to the devil (Rm6:6; 2Pe2:19);
2) Repentance ” from the consciousness of sin (1Jn1:9); and
3) Prayer ” from problems (Jn5:5, 9:1, 7)
Until the day he finally enters the eternal rest (He4:1, 11).
O Lord!
Is there any other gospel to
Those anxious, despaired and pitiful because of their past, such as us?
Let us all bury last year into the past and
Look forward to the New Year.
Let us strain toward what is ahead and
When You return let us all enter the eternal rest where there is no time!
Amen.