In effect, he was saying " You know, when I look back, I feel as though I have hardly started, and all that I want to do is to forget what is behind and press on to those things which are before".

The Life of the Apostle Paul was one that was dominated with a supreme objective---That was to press towards the mark, that he might obtain the Prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. To do this he must forget the past and he must reach forward.

The Apostle is being "Realistic"--- and his honesty is clothed with humility. Paul is confessing that he has not arrived at the summit of spirituality! He has not reached his goal. He has not achieved his target perfection has eluded him.

The Apostle is at the Zenith of his Ministry. He had permeated major cities with the Gospel! He had planted Churches that continued to flourish. He had written wonderful Epistles setting forth sound doctrine, but he was not satisfied with his progress.

The more he accomplished, the more he saw what which needed to be accomplished. The more he looked at himself, the more he realised how he needed to press on along the road, which would lead to Christ-- likeness.

Paul did not compare himself with other Christians, he compared himself with Christ his Saviour and Lord. Paul was satisfied with Christ! But he was not satisfied with his Christian life. , I count not myself to have apprehended

It is always a very difficult and humbling experience to recognise and then to confess One’s failures as the Lord reveals them to us.

The past is past and both blessing and failure reside there. Yet we must ever conscience of the real danger of dwelling in the past. The past is behind us and it cannot be changed. We cannot rewrite the history of our lives. It happened yesterday and it should remain there. Yes, we can all learn from the past but it is foolish to live in the past.

None of us can face the present unless we know we are strengthened by the presence of God. None of us can face the future unless we are certain of the love of God.

Forget those things, which lie behind and reach forth to those things, which lie before having learned from our past failure. There is always room for improvement in our Christian pilgrimage.

Paul is saying this is where I have been! This is where I am going, I am pressing on for the Prize, but in between, I have a lot to learn.

The Past can shackle us and lead us into bondage. To dwell constantly on past achievements will certainly not ensure us victory today. If one dwells on past success and on past Blessings, they can develop pride in the heart.

We cannot live on past blessing! Blessing that was wonderful at the time it was received, is not sufficient for the present need today. The Lord’s Provision for the needs of His People is always fresh. His mercies are New every morning and fresh every evening.

There, is a real danger, which faces every child of God! And that is of resting on the past, relying on what God has done yesterday for our satisfaction today. We can seek, to have a sparkle in our Christian experience, when all the time, we are living on the stale Grace of past blessing.

But I do not like to eat stale cake or stale Bread. Have you ever gone to the bread bin and taken out a sliced of Bread only to find that it was mouldy because it had been there too long?

Friends, it is possible for the child of God to become mouldy, with a stale spiritual experience! There is nothing new about them, for they have failed to move on! Yet they have been called to walk in newness of life, and to walk in the freshness of the Present Grace of God.

Grace is energy; not a mere sentiment; not a mere thought of the Almighty; not even a word of the Almighty. Grace is as energy as the energy of electricity.

It is a divine energy; it is the energy of the divine affection, rolling plenteousness toward the shores of human need with the freshness of His Grace

Today is the first day of the rest of your life and for the Believer, the best lies before us. Therefore we can face the future with great confidence, striving for those things, which lie before us without swerving off course or being side tracked.

No Athlete succeeds by doing everything! No! He succeeds by specialising

As we continue in the our Service for God, let us remind our hearts, that there can be no room for spiritual declension, no room for relaxation! Let us go on to "Finish the Race, to reach the Goal, to gain the Prize. The writer of the Hebrew epistle exhorts

Walk in the Spirit… for this is the realm where spiritual life really thrives.

The law for Christian living is not backward, but forward; not for experiences that lie behind, but for doing the will of God, which is always ahead and beckoning us to follow.

Leave the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are before, for, on each new height there are the appropriate joys from each new experience.

Paul wanted to be a winner, not a looser. This man sought to live his life in such a way, that he would leave no unfinished business when the Lord would remove him from this scene of time.

How sad it is for a Believer who comes to the end of their earthly pilgrimage having failed to achieve that, for which the Lord has saved them. Then to stand before the judgement seat! Having missed the mark and failed to win the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

As Christian’s, we are not to go backward, but forward with our Lord exercising Faith and obedience displaying those things that become us as the Lord’s people.

Enjoy your Christian experience! Rejoice in the Lord. The source of real Joy is the Lord, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Amid, the changing circumstances of life a joyful spirit can be maintained if we learn to rejoice in the Lord

We need to be careful as to how we live out our lives before others

How more Holy, we would be if would keep in mind that "the Lord is at hand observing all the things that we say and do.

The Saints of old had needs! They prayed and their needs were met, our God is still the same today! He still answers Prayer.

Think on these things for they give us guidelines for Christian living, they bring Glory to God, and they become those who profess the Name of Jesus Christ.

Worry is like a thin stream of fear ----trickling through the mind, which if encouraged it will cut a channel into which all other thoughts are drained