One Thing
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).
Paul was a great apostle, but he was not cocky. He knew he was still a work in progress. His days were filled with taking the gospel to everyone in the known world. But he reduced his job to “one thing.” He had a strong determination for that purpose. He did not dwell on or live in the past but reached ahead to achieve what he had been captured for— to be transformed to be like the Father.
The past can bog us down. We feel ashamed of our failures in our personal lives or business. Our minds are haunted by those memories. Every decision we make is colored by our grief and fear that we will make the same mistake again. Others live in past glories. We may have enjoyed stunning success, but instead of using our gains as a foundation for further growth, we keep reliving those memories. Living in the past, whether failed or successful, takes our lives out of focus. Paul said, “Forget the past and move on.”
In which direction should we move? We should reach forward to fulfill the reason God laid hold of us. Paul encourages us to uncover and embrace a God-sized cause. One that has a positive impact on people by pressing toward the mark.
Paul said, “One thing I do.” Everything else was rubbish. God was more than merely one of Paul’s “interests.” This “One thing I do”, he continues with “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Here is his single-minded determination that separated him from others. Here is the consuming hunger and thirst that will find God or die. Also, here is the courageous choice to look primarily toward the future rather than the past. What’s in store for those who are willing to love God faithfully is beyond our ability to imagine just now. But since the beginning, everything that God has made known of Himself has made one thing increasingly clear: He is worth reaching for. In truth, He is the very best thing about tomorrow.
“Make Him the Source, the Center, and the One who encompasses every delight of your soul. Refuse to be satisfied any longer with your meager accomplishments. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, and a fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon).
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