Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phillippians 3:13-14 ESV
What’s done is done. This scripture passage is written by Paul. Paul had formerly been Saul, the persecutor of Christians. Jesus saved Paul on the road to Damascus and Paul became an apostle who spread the gospel and lead many people to Christ. Paul kept his focus on Jesus and the prize of eternal life in heaven.
As we begin this new year, we must let go of yesterday. Let go of the hurt and anger that you may be feeling toward someone that has wronged you. Let go of any bitterness and unforgiveness. Let go of sinful habits that you have been clinging to. Give all these things to God. Let go of the past and don’t worry about the future. Give the past to God and know that God holds the future. Whatever is coming your way, God’s got it.
I don’t know how you will be beginning the new year today. I don’t know how you celebrated last night. Perhaps you went to bed early as I did. Perhaps you stayed up late and rang in the new year with Christian friends. Perhaps you drank too much and are reading this through the blurry eyes of a hangover. Perhaps you are mourning a loss. Maybe you are nursing a grudge. I don’t know what your condition or state of mind is today, but I know one thing. I know that yesterday has come and gone and nothing can be gained by holding on to the past. I also know that there is great hope in a future with our savior, Jesus Christ. If we put God first in our lives, He will take care of the rest.
No matter what last year held for you, this is a whole new day and the beginning of a whole new year. Not one of us knows how much time we have left here on earth. We don’t know if we have just a few minutes or many years. One thing we do know is that we have the opportunity to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior in glory. The past should be no more than a learning experience. If you made mistakes in the past, learn from them so that you don’t repeat them and move on. The bible tells us that when God forgives us of our sins, he forgets about them and we should do the same. The devil tries to guilt us into thinking that we will never be good enough to get to heaven. He’s right, on our own we would never be good enough to get to heaven, but with God’s help we can get there. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Paul led many people to Christ. He endured beatings, stoning, flogging, and imprisonment and was eventually stoned to death because of his preaching. Paul died doing what God had called him to do. Imagine if he had let the devil guilt him into thinking that this was all in vain. I am sure that the devil tried to recall his past sins. I am sure that the devil tried to remind him of the many Christians he had persecuted. If Paul had dwelt on his past he would have been overcome by guilt and spent most of his time having a pity part. He could not have possibly led so many people to salvation and done the work that God had called him to do.
If you have slipped up, it is not too late. Turn to God, repent of your sins and he is faithful and just to forgive. Today is not just New Year’s Day, it’s the first day of the rest of your life. I pray that your resolution for the new year is to be a new creature in Christ. I pray that if you don’t have a relationship with Him that you will come to know Him and accept Him as your savior. I pray that if you already have established a relationship with Him that you will strive to do even better this year and draw closer to Him and do the things that He has called you to do. Draw close to God, allow Him to wash away the sins of your past. Allow Him to make you a new creature and enjoy your new life as a child of God.
So, let yesterday go, keep your eyes on the prize and have a very Happy New Year!