Brother, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 HCSB

For many years I have wondered what the song, Auld Lang Syne meant. I’m sure that many of you probably know this, but for those of you who have wondered as I have, I will tell you what I found out. This song was written by a Scotsman, named Robert Burns in 1788 and loosely translated, it means for the sake of old times or days gone by. It is popular New Year’s Eve song, as we usher out the old year and welcome the New Year in.

In our scripture passage today, Paul is talking about becoming spiritually mature and gaining the knowledge of Christ. He warns against remembering the past for two reasons. First of all if we remember bad times or past sins it could cause us to become overwhelmed and if we remember good times, it could cause us to rest on our own accomplishments. We have a heavenly calling and as we press toward our goal, we should let go of the past and focus on what’s ahead. Paul speaks of pressing on towards the prize. Our prize is an eternity spent in heaven with God the Father. This should be our focus. We should be focusing on God and whatever it is that He has called us to do.

Many of you have made resolutions for this new year. You will never accomplish those goals if you spend all your time focusing on how you failed to accomplish them in the past. When we run a race, we must look  forward to get to the prize. Looking back could cause the runner to stumble or lose speed. The runner must press forward.

When we focus on how others have hurt us in the past it leads to bitterness and unforgiveness. When we focus on past failures, it can lower our self-esteem and cause us to convince ourselves that we can’t succeed at new endeavors. Focusing on either or both of these things give the devil an opportunity to lie to us and may lead us to believe his lies.

Colossians 3:2 tells us to focus on what is above, not what is on earth. Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable and to dwell on any moral excellence and praise.

We all have fond memories of days gone by. I cherish memories of loved ones that have gone on to be with the Lord.  But, if we find that these past memories cause us pain, heartache, or anger us in some way, we need to let that go. We need to give that over to God.

We are told in Matthew 6:33 to focus on the kingdom of God and all things will be added to us. Our job is to focus on whatever God has called us to do. We can’t understand his calling if we are staying tangled up in earthly matters. When we get busy doing what God has called us to do, He will take care of what we need. He will handle the earthly matters for us. Romans 8:28 tells us all things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Simply put, when we are busy tending to God’s business, He will see to it that even the bad things that happen in our lives work to bring us good. We are told in Jeremiah 29:11 that God has good plans for us and wants to bring us hope and a future and not harm.

I don’t know what this new year holds, but I know who holds the future. I know that I will be focused on Him. He has taken good care of me so far and I trust that He will continue to do so. Even if I die, I know where I am headed and I know that it is a wonderful place. I know that I have friends and family waiting there for me. I know that I will be spending eternity with my Lord and Savior, so whatever happens in my life is a win-win.

My prayer for you today is that you have the same confidence. Let go of the past and press on toward the prize that God has offered you. Trust in Him today and pledge your obedience. You won’t be sorry you did.

Have a very Happy New Year!