Two-minute read.
Since I started following Jesus, He has transformed my life.
The Lord has helped me work through my anger issues and process the losses I’ve experienced. God continually refines me. Over the past weekend, I suffered the consequences of a social media post I made in frustration: nothing horrid, but one I regret posting because it unintentionally offended a friend. As I pray through how to move forward, growth happens, and the Lord transforms my life a little bit more.
Living for Jesus means continual spiritual progress.
We never “arrive.”
God always has more to teach us.
Paul, the author of Philippians, accomplished an extraordinary amount for Christ, but he didn’t consider himself spiritually finished. And we shouldn’t either. Jesus’s followers never stop growing and learning; our lives are in constant sanctification as we continue to pursue the Savior.
Sanctification means becoming more like Christ. First, we experience justification, becoming right with God by repenting of our sins, and then transformation begins. Each morning, I have things to confess to the Lord. By surrendering my sin, God teaches me how to make amends, humble myself, and persevere as I try again. Sanctification never stops; the ongoing process of becoming more like Jesus only ends when God calls us to our heavenly home.
We must let go of our past, failures, and successes to keep moving forward. Failures keep us looking backward with regret. But our successes can cause us to believe we’ve done enough. In the Lord’s economy, we always have more to do. He gives us a purpose to fulfill, and we can only do that when we let go of the past and move forward with Him.
“Onward and upward!” Famed pastor Charles Spurgeon preached on May 25, 1873. His famous sermon focuses on these verses and reminds us, 150-plus years later, that the race doesn’t end. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and run towards the eternal goal.
Learn from your mistakes.
Enjoy your successes.
Then move onward.
Saved doesn’t mean finished. Our security in Christ’s gift doesn’t mean we stop growing. With the seed of repentance and acceptance of the Savior, transformation begins. Paul didn’t casually stroll towards the end goal; he stretched forward, longing for more. And we should as well.
Don’t live life looking in the rearview mirror. God’s plan unfolds each day. Each morning, we get to choose to follow Him again.
Journal Questions:
- What part of my past—whether a failure, disappointment, or even a past success—do I need to surrender to God so I can move forward?
- In what area of my life is God inviting me to grow and become more like Christ right now?
- What is one practical step I can take this week to “press on” toward Christ and continue growing in my faith?
Application:
Write down your biggest regret on paper. Then crumple it up and throw it away. Ask God to help you let it go.
