Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

• Everybody has a past. Are there things in your past that you regret so much that repentance is impeding your service to Christ? Are there accomplishments and honors in your past that keep you from relying on Christ as you try to serve him? Can you learn to forget those things and focus on where Christ is leading you now?
• The Bible Exposition Commentary says that when we forget what lies behind, “It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future.^[1] If you live today for the future Christ has in mind for you, what will you do differently? 
• Sometimes it is somebody else’s past that holds us back. If someone else has done me harm, and I am not able to forgive that wound, it becomes like a shackle around my ankle as I try to go forward. What part of your past needs to be redeemed by forgiveness before you can actually “press on toward the goal?” 
• Even though you forget what is behind you and let go of impediments that allow you to move forward, are you trying to multi-task as you move forward? Are you spreading yourself thin by trying to achieve all the things you think you ought to be doing? Do you need to let go of your desire to accomplish many things in order to be able to focus on the single “heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus?”