Brothers and sisters, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 13 – 14
Forget the past
With the new year just under a month old, some of you may still be thinking about what goals you can set for your health this year. Or, if you have already set them, how can you achieve those goals? Usually, when we are trying to achieve something worthwhile, doubts may crop up in our minds. And with the doubts will come memories of past failures. You joined a weight loss program a few years ago, lost a few pounds then gained them back with a few more. You took out a gym membership, went faithfully for the first couple weeks then a new work schedule sent all your efforts into a tailspin. On and on, your mind keeps spinning out these negative reminders until you throw up your hands in disgust and say, “Why bother?”
Don’t give up
If you have read this far, know that it is always too soon to give up. The verse above is a quote from the apostle Paul telling the church at Philippi to forget what is behind and strain toward the prize that lies ahead. In other words, forget the failures, forget the efforts that didn’t produce the results you’d hoped for and “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” This does not apply only to health and fitness, but to anything in your past that may be hindering you from moving forward.
Press on
Does God want you to be fit and healthy? You bet He does. He doesn’t want you to be sluggish and burdened by all kinds of diseases. He wants you well so you can serve Him and others and be all He created you to be. So, today, forget what is behind, press toward that goal of radiant health and see the changes begin to take place in your body. God bless.
