In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul gave some very encouraging words to the church of Philippi in regard to living the life of the believer. He said, “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.” As I read these verses, there are two words that stick out to me: “Forgetting” and “press.” Let’s take a look at what these two words mean.

The word “forgetting” simply means “to forget. neglecting, no longer caring for, forgotten, given over to oblivion, uncared for.” The Apostle Paul was a man of many failures. Before he became a believer in the finished work of Christ, he was a blasphemer, terrorist of Christians and murderer. In Acts 7:58, he is described as one who gave consent to and held the coats of those that stoned the deacon Stephen. In Acts 8:3, he is described as one who “made havock of the church.” He was a man that could have easily chalked himself up as a failure, that could not be used in the work of the Lord and go off into oblivion. But he chose not to that. He chose to “forget.” In other words, he chose to pay no attention to those failures of life. What are your failures? Perhaps you have failed in many areas. Look up! You can arise from those failures and move on to great things.

The second word “press” simply means “to pursue.” Figuratively, it means to run swiftly to reach a goal. I have a crazy hobby and that hobby is long distance running. I know it sounds crazy, but I enjoy running long distances. I have ran some 5 k’s, the Fort Bragg 10 miler, 3 half-marathons, 2 full marathons and currently training for my third marathon. Each week and every Saturday, I set a goal of how many miles I will run in my training. When I set out, I pursue reaching that goal and when I reach it, I have a sense of accomplishment. Why? Because I set a goal and I pressed on until I reached the goal. Someone once said, “If you don’t set a goal, you will always aim at nothing.” What are your goals in life? To be a better husband, wife, employee/employer, student, or most importantly, believer and follower of Jesus Christ? Let me challenge you to set some goals and pursue them.