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Philippians 3:12; 4:8-9
To prepare for communion this morning, let's reach back in Philippians to 3:12. This famous verse says we must, "forget what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Paul is saying we need to confess our sins of the past, accept the forgiveness Jesus promises and say we're sorry to those we have hurt. This is a cleansing exercise that we should do daily and especially prior to receiving communion. Paul uses the athlete as a powerful metaphor. Imagine going to a track meet to watch runners compete and you see them line up at the staring line. You see them in the sleeveless t-shirts and shorts made of thin fabric and we know that these uniforms have been improved and made lighter through years. The runners don't want any extra weight to carry or even any drag caused by too much fabric blowing in the wind. But on the line you see one runner who has a backpack and you learn it is full of books. You don't know why anyone would want to compete carrying a load of books, right?
Well, that is what we do when we start a new day carrying around our mistakes of the past. Every mistake is like a page in a book and then we bind the books and date them so we can keep track of our storied lives. When Paul says to forget what lies behind he means toss out those books full of pages listing your past failures, get rid of the backpack and run free.
Then in 4:8 Paul tells us how we are to think while we are running the race toward our goals. He says, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Verse 9 packs a powerful punch. Paul says that if we think on the right things, "the peace of God will be with you." Maybe at the core desire of all our hearts is the desire for peace and here we see exactly how to get it.
God is our parent. The Bible says that God knitted us together in our mother's womb and the Bible is clear that we are all God's children made in God's image. Right now I am working on a case that will come to trial soon about a basketball player who died playing the game. The prosecution is trying to blame to coach and I will be an expert witness to show that it was not the coach that caused this untimely death of a young athlete. In the depositions I am reading there is one given by a doctor who describes how the values of our heart begin to form at just 12 weeks. This is scientific evidence that God knits us together in our mother's womb.
God wants all the best for you so just tell him what you want, thank him for hearing your prayer and trust him to work in your life. While you are trusting God, think true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable thoughts and your wait will be in peace.
