Knowing Christ | Friday: Pressing Toward the Goal
FRIDAY | October 30, 2026
Knowing Christ | Room to Grow | Philippians 3:7-16
Christ frees us from resting in yesterday’s record so that we can pursue him today.
Philippians 3:13-14
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.
English Standard Version
Devotional
Paul repeats what he has already said: he has not made it his own. His pursuit of Christ remains unfinished. Then he describes the direction of his life with the picture of a runner straining forward. The runner’s attention belongs to the goal. He cannot run faithfully while treating the place he has already reached as the finish line. Paul’s past contains much to remember, but it cannot become the place where he settles.
In the context of this chapter, forgetting what lies behind includes leaving behind the former grounds of his confidence. Paul will not return to his heritage, achievements, or religious performance as reasons to trust himself. He has already counted those things as loss for Christ. It would make no sense to abandon them as his righteousness and then quietly build his confidence upon them again.
Forgetting does not require erasing memory. Paul has just recounted his past, including his persecution of the church. Nor does it excuse us from making restitution, learning from past sins, or thanking God for past mercies. He is describing a life that refuses to be governed by what is behind it. The past cannot provide the righteousness he needs, and it must not distract him from the Christ he is pursuing.
Sunday’s sermon brought this close to home. Even good practices such as serving, gathering with the church, and reading Scripture can become things we use to congratulate ourselves. We may think about how faithful we once were more often than we ask how to obey today. A testimony from years ago becomes a substitute for present dependence. Yesterday’s sacrifice becomes an argument for protecting today’s comfort.
The answer is not to abandon those good practices. Paul’s pursuit of Christ produces renewed obedience. We gather because we belong to Christ and his people. We read Scripture because we want to hear our Lord. We serve because his love has changed what we value. The same outward action can be approached as a way of defending our importance or as the grateful expression of faith. Our hearts need continual examination at that point.
Paul also strains toward what lies ahead. His goal is inseparable from Christ and the completion of life with him, including the resurrection he has just described. The prize is not a platform on which Paul can finally admire himself. God has called him upward in Christ Jesus. Knowing his Lord more fully and being brought into his presence gives direction to the race. A future centered on Christ should shape the use of an ordinary afternoon.
That focus helps us distinguish faithful effort from restless religious activity. We can fill a schedule with things that look spiritual while avoiding the very obedience Christ places before us. The question is not simply whether we are busy. Are we seeking to know him and become like him? An honest conversation, quiet prayer, patient care for a family member, or humble service may express that pursuit more faithfully than another visible accomplishment.
Take stock of what has been occupying your attention. Are you repeatedly revisiting an old success to reassure yourself that you have done enough? Are you treating a confessed failure as though Christ cannot lead you forward from it? Receive his forgiveness, accept the responsibilities that remain, and return to the race. You cannot obey yesterday’s commands today. You can trust the Lord who has made you his own and follow him in the work he has given you now.
Questions for Reflection and Application
What past achievement are you tempted to use as a substitute for present dependence on Christ?
How is forgetting what lies behind different from denying history or avoiding responsibility?
Where has religious busyness distracted you from a clear act of obedience?
What would pursuing Christ look like in the next ordinary part of your day?
Journal
Identify something from the past that has been governing your attention. Record any responsibility you still need to address and one present act of obedience toward which you will move.
Meditate and Memorize
Related Scriptures
Philippians 3:4-14
Hebrews 12:1-2
Colossians 3:1-4
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Memory verse - Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Prayer
Father, keep me from resting in yesterday’s obedience or being ruled by yesterday’s failures. Turn my attention toward Christ and the hope of being with him. Give purpose to today’s work and faithfulness in today’s responsibilities. Help me press on with my confidence in your Son. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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