I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3:13b NLT

Have you ever wanted to launch into a conversation about your past? I can totally hear your thoughts now, “Dude, what in the world are you thinking!” Sure, if it is reminiscing about the things that were great in the past. But if you are like me, you really would rather stay away from that area of your life. Yes, every heart knows that place where it keeps those things of the past and where they are to stay.

Paul's life is so amazing, and he gave us a little help with that too. Check out the verse above. When you look at his past you know that he was a persecutor of Christians, a serious tyrant, a Pharisee and really thought that his “religion” would get him closer to God. Not only that, be he had some serious trauma as well. He was shipwrecked, beaten, called names by his own people, bitten by a snake, and knows what it is like to be homeless.

Does this sound familiar to you? Maybe the things that I listed are not necessarily in your past, and maybe you might be saying, “Adam, you have no idea what my past is like?” Yeah, maybe I don’t, but I would bet that Paul does, and I will tell you that what he said is absolutely incredible. “Forgetting what is behind” would mean not only his sins, failures, and things that have happened to him in his life, but even things that could cause him to be prideful. Then he says, “And straining forward to those things which are ahead:” namely, living a life for Jesus!

Finally, what does your past look like? What do you need to be forgiven for, forgive others for, forgive yourself for, and forget about so that you can work hard on your relationship with Jesus? Maybe it is to give your heart to Jesus? Whatever it would be, my prayer is that after reading this, you too can know what Paul kn ew in the healing that Jesus has for you. May God’s grace abound in you!