Text: Philippians 3: 13 – 16
I once sat down to do some meditation on the three most important days in the life of a man - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. And I penned some observations down.
Yesterday, I discover is the enemy of today just as today could be the enemy of tomorrow. Yet yesterday is the foundation for today and today ought to be the foundation for tomorrow. Those who sit in yesterday I discover, never stand to meet the challenges of today and the glorious appearing of tomorrow. There are therefore three things you must learn to do about these three important days.
Put Yesterday Behind: However good or bad yesterday was it had a purpose. It was a foundation and you don’t sleep inside foundation.
Celebrate Today: Today is the only gift at your disposal or in your possession. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is only a dream, an ambition – not at your disposal or in your control (It lies in the realm of faith). Smith Bam once wrote….
“Today is your birthday! Actually, today is also my birthday, and the birthday of everyone on this planet. Why? Because today is a new day and today is the first day of the rest of your life…when you woke up this morning, you had a new opportunity today to make fresh choices….So lets decide from today we will celebrate each and everyday, as the precious and miraculous gift it truly is for the infinite possibilities it holds for all of us to make positive life–transforming choices”.
Today must also be celebrated because it is the tomorrow we were praying for yesterday. But there is a problem with today. Any one who lives for today alone would have mortgaged his tomorrow. Today ought to be on opportunity to invest in tomorrow. So this leads us to the text thing.
Rise up to greet tomorrow: If we celebrate today because it is the tomorrow we were praying for yesterday. Then we must rise up to greet tomorrow because we used today to pray for it. And tomorrow is going to be great! Tomorrow is the asset of men of faith. In tomorrow is hope and the fulfillment of destiny. This is the theses of Paul in Philippians 3:13 – 16.
Paul and Tomorrow
Paul was a great man. His credentials are intimidating. From Phil 3:4-11 we saw two climaxes of success. There was a climax in verse 4- 6 where he described his achievement in the flesh – his credential before meeting Christ. It was a powerful CV. But he counted all these as rubbish (vs 7-8). Then from verse 8c – 11, we seem to see another climax of spiritual accomplishment. Now in Christ Paul has completely dedicated himself to knowing Christ and becoming like him. At this point he should be an envy of all.
But when we got to verse 12, he made us pause again before we think he is already a satisfied Christian. He said:
Not what I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on…..
Paul than revealed the secret of this great life of divine accomplishment for all those who wants to ride high in life. For Paul the good is the enemy of the better and the better is the enemy of the best and he simply would never settle for the good or the better when the BEST is still attainable. He gave us these principle.
Dismantling the memory of the past
In verse 13, he talked about forgetting what is behind. Any one who will ride to the next level in life and catch up with a great tomorrow must close the door against his past. Paul has forgotten all his achievement as a Pharisee and the guilt of persecuting the church and killing such great saints like Stephen. Anyone who is still yoked with burden of what he has done in the past may not make progress in life. You must learn to forgive yourself when you have the assurance that God has forgiven you. Paul also did not consider all his spiritual accomplishment so far as anything to sit on and fold his hand. He simply forgot them all. To him, everyday is just a new beginning. And this is the secret of great men. They don’t sit on tradition. They are not men of status who. They put the past behind.
Dissatisfaction with the present
The present is your today and I said you must celebrate it or you may never create the right atmosphere for greeting your tomorrow. Paul also does the same. He never cease to thank God for his grace upon his life which made him to be who he is. In 1 Cor 15:10, he said,
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect”
But Paul is saying in the Philippians passage, I don’t sit down contented in today as if tomorrow does not matter or tomorrow will not come. He said in verse 13.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
From historical records Paul wrote this letter around AD 61 during his house arrest in Rome. And this period was after all the great works that God has used Paul to do as recorded in the Acts of Apostles – planting of many churches, discipling of great men, winning of many souls, healing of many sick, deliverance of many people, suffering for Christ in a way no other apostle did. God really used him in his generation. And Paul is saying here, I have not taken hold of it.
So brothers and sisters, what have you accomplished that you think no one else has done, or that makes you proud, complacent and not working for a greater tomorrow? Never let your today become the enemy of your tomorrow.
Paul said in that verse 13,
And straining towards what is ahead…
For Paul, today is springboard or launching pad for tomorrow. You use today to strain. To strain means to have to make an unusually great or even painful physical or mental effort to do something. It also means to pull at or push against something, especially an obstacle or restraint, with greet force or violence.
Let me inform you. A greater tomorrow will not come so cheap. Satan is ready to frustrate you and render anyone’s future futile. But you must strain. Your preparation for a great tomorrow starts now. Are you investing? Are you furthering your education, are you taking good care of your health? Are you taking your family serious? Are you taking your God and his worship or service serious? Are you building your character habits and attitudes? Tomorrow will surely come if you don’t die and Christ doesn’t come. But tomorrow may turn out to be a regret for many people. Most importantly are your prepared for eternity?
Discovery of the Future
Paul finally said,
I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul discovered what tomorrow will be like – a time to win the prize of God’s calling. It is a time to score the goal. And he did fulfill his life vision. When he was about dieing, he said it in 2 Tim 4:7-8,
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Have you discovered your goal for tomorrow? Have you understood why God called you and saved you? What is your life purpose statement? Why are you here? What is God’s divine assignment for you? Who are you called to bless? What mission are you here to fulfill. If you can’t answer these questions, there is no higher ground to climb. There is no tomorrow to welcome. Discover your purpose for living. Map out your goal for the future according to God’s plan for you. Put your past behind. Use your today to prepare for tomorrow and your tomorrow shall be great. The ultimate tomorrow is heaven. Will you make it when Christ comes?
