A Goal Worthy of Pursuit in 2016

¹³ 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, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶ Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:13-16)

Here’s what Paul is saying: 2016 means nothing and is nothing except an extension of God’s grace on our lives so that everything we do be a manifestation of God’s grace flowing through the life veins within us to make the gospel apparent in our lives.

1. COMMIT YOURSELF TO FORGET YOUR FAILURES

• All of us have failed in some way in our lives over the last year.
• We won’t see our failures recorded for history on tv but they are recorded in our hearts and minds.
• For many of us our failures are painful memories. Maybe for you it is a memory of how you failed in a relationship; the wrong decisions; said and did the wrong things; etc

2. COMMIT YOURSELF TO THE GOALS PRESSING US UPWARD TOWARD JESUS

• What Christ has promised us is not cars, houses, health, or wealth.
• The prize is the crown of righteousness Jesus gives us from his life, death, and resurrection.
• Our scope of goal setting in 2016 should be to leave the things of the world to the side and hold onto the righteousness Jesus gives to us.

Let’s be mature in our living. Forget what we’ve done, not for the sake of forgetting and making the same mistakes we’ve made over and over again. Forget so that it doesn’t haunt what we’re doing now with the grace and mercy of God in our lives. Moreover, it is time we rededicate our lives to living with the mindset of grace and mercy so that our lives will be a reflection of the salvation we received. This is a goal better than losing weight. This is a goal better than upward mobility. This is a goal already in our possession for manifestation. Take hold of it, it will make 2016 your best year yet.