Forgetting what is behind...reaching forward

Sunday, I spoke from Philippians 3:13 (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) It really is important to the successful believer that we put the past behind and reach ahead. I have observed over the course of 20 years of ministry that the best predictor of how successful someone will be in their faith is the abiblity to leave things behind and move on to what lies ahead.

Trapped in the past - I find that many of the problems that beleivers and for that matter churches struggle with are partly due to the grip they have on past events. Usually unresolved issues or the absence of confrontation births the inability to move on. People trapped in the past keep trying to fix or do-over these past incidents only to be disappointed with the results of such an endeavor.

What is obvious to me is that God wants us to be forward in our thinking, not stuck in the past. When you think about it the at the heart of christianity is the concept of looking forward towards eternity.