Today's Devotion: 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Php 3:12-14)

In this passage, Paul attempts to focus his advice on moving forward in his relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not the past that matters. It is the future that counts.

Today's Comments: If God had intended to judge us by our past, there would be no need for Jesus Christ's atonement. We see in Paul a man who did more harm to Christians than any other single person in his day. Yet, God used Paul for His purposes, and Paul became one of the greatest Christians of all time. We can be like Paul. All we have to do is move forward in our relationship with Jesus.