Pressing Toward Tomorrow

Jonathan Swift – who wrote Gulliver’s Travels. When he would greet others he would say– “May you live every day of your life!”

John 10: ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly…  

Too many of us are just enduring this thing called life… but God called us to life an abundant life. A full life…

Philippians 3: ¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 

¹³ 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, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

There are three groups of people here right now.

– Satisfied – You are resting on your own achievements, saying “I’m OK. I have arrived and am satisfied with my life”. 

– Dissatisfied – Maybe you are dissatisfied with yourself, with others, and with your circumstances in life…

– Unsatisfied – Paul puts himself in this category and I hope that is where most of us are this morning. It’s the condition where we believe that there is more to life than what we are getting out of it and where we realize there is more we can do in life. 

Paul says, “I have not arrived”. Then he says, “But one thing I do”.

Let me rephrase that last statement – “I have pulled together all my thoughts, goals, and purposes and shaped them into a single goal – a single purpose”. ONE THING!!!

13b. 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.

To live life to the fullest in 2025

1. Forget Yesterday– “Forgetting what is behind”

Life is less than what it can be if we keep carrying around all of our yesterdays. All the baggage, the regrets, the sorrows, the pains…. They burden us down.

Phil. 3: ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless ⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul did not let his past failures or successes abort his present running of God’s race for him. Paul, you, me… none of us can change what has happened… BUT we can choose how we allow it to affect us!!!

Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us

In 2025, this NEW year, it’s time to leave somethings back at the starting line. 

a. Past victories – Do you have a vision/ a purpose statement for this upcoming year?

b. Past Failures –Take no offense or forget the offense and get up and move on… (Bait of Satan)

To live life to the fullest in 2025
2. Live Today– “straining toward”

Live today. It is a gift from the God who loves you. Live it to the fullest.
Live today where you are. (“Wherever you are be all there”)

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re likely to end up someplace else.” ~ Yogi Berra 

Only Jesus can give your life real purpose. He is the One who created you in the womb of your mother. As individuals and as a church you/me/we will only find our purpose in Him.

To live life to the fullest in 2025
3. Trust Tomorrow – there is victory there.

Matthew 6: ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

There are some things we can do today that will help us fulfill what God wants us to do tomorrow. Your decisions today determine tomorrow’s destiny!

Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow. ~ Robert Kiysaki

The same God who has seen you through your past (victories and failures – right and wrong decisions), is the same God who is out there paving the way for better things.

14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 

“Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know He holds my hand.

Trust tomorrow. It is worth your investment today. It is worth putting in the Master’s hands.

So that’s it!!! 

– Forget yesterday – build on it – build from it
– Live today – where you are – giving all you have
– Trust tomorrow – because God is already there

Lou Holtz once said, “If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you are doing then you start looking to bail out the first time the boats starts to leak. It’s tough enough getting the boat to shore with everyone rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on.”