Don’t look back (2)

Author Ellen Vaughn continues: “(3) We must also forget our successes. That doesn’t necessarily mean we must forget the great projects we have completed. We are to work and live with excellence unto God, and He takes pleasure in our successes as they are offered to His glory. But we should forget past successes if they have defined our identity or caused us to be complacent, smug and self-congratulatory. We’re not to fondle the past, dwelling on past glories. (Similarly, we must make sure our stories of God’s work and grace in our lives are not all old. If we can only point to instances of God’s faithfulness from five years ago but none from this week, our connection with Christ isn’t very current.) Paul warns the Philippians against those who would put their confidence in human criteria and accomplishment: ‘If someone…thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more’ (Philippians 3:4 NIV), he said, citing his power résumé that many in his day would have coveted. But his focus wasn’t on his past: ‘Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:7, 13-14 NIV).” The good news is, God doesn’t analyze your past in order to determine your future. He says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past… I am doing a new thing!” Learn from the past, leave it, and don’t look back!