DAILY DEVOTIONAL TODAY – April 9, 2025 || Our Daily Bread [Daily Devotion] | MamClaireTV

Devotional Message:
(Philippians 3:13-14)
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on."

Observation:

When Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians, he was not in a comfortable place. He was in prison. He had gone through many trials—beatings, shipwrecks, rejection, and hardship. Yet here he was, still full of hope and joy. In fact, the whole book of Philippians is known for its message of joy and encouragement—even in suffering.

And now, in chapter 3, Paul opens up about his personal journey. He says, “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” In other words, “I’m not there yet. I’m still growing. I’m still learning. I still make mistakes.” This is Paul—the great missionary, the church planter, the writer of much of the New Testament—and even he admits he hasn’t arrived. Isn’t that comforting? It tells us we don’t have to be perfect to follow Jesus. We just need to keep moving forward.

Then Paul shares the secret to his spiritual focus: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”

Notice how he says “one thing.” Paul is focused. His eyes are on the goal. He’s not trying to do a hundred things at once. He has one direction, one purpose, one main goal—to live for Jesus and move toward Him every day.

“Forgetting what is behind” doesn’t mean erasing your memory. It means choosing not to be controlled by the past. Paul had a past. He once hated Christians and approved of violence against them. That could’ve filled him with guilt and shame. But he didn’t stay there. He knew that Jesus had forgiven him, and that meant he could walk in freedom.

Some of us have good memories in the past. Others have painful ones. But Paul teaches us that whether our past is filled with success or failure, we must not let it keep us from growing. There is more ahead. There is still a race to run.