Forgetting, Reaching, Pressing On

To be this morning. This is the first Sunday of 2021. It's an odd year really? It's an odd number. So it's a deer as a bad joke. 2021 is an odd year. Better than even your Philippians chapter 3 is where we're going to be we're going to read verses 7 through 15. I'm going to ask you to stand out of respect for God's word. Would you follow along and your Bibles with me is I read it.

If you're all right sounds like you're there when I got me a drink of water, so we're good. up here Philippians chapter 3 verse 7 the bible says but what things were gained to me though, if I counted lost for Christ ye doubtless and I count for whom I have suffered the loss of which is of the law. But that was just threw the face of Christ the righteousness which is of god by faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering be made conformable under his death. If by any means I made it attain unto the resurrection of the Dead not as though I had already attained either were already perfect, but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do forgetting those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ. Jesus. Let us therefore as many as be perfect beat us minded and if in anything you be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you I'm going to talk to you this morning about this idea of forgetting reaching and pressing on let's go to the Lord in prayer gracious Heavenly Father short good to us or was thankful for this first Sunday of the New Year thankful for folks making it a priority to be in your house this morning with thankful that we can meet together in these buildings before we can worship you as we see fit Lord for the songs that were preparing our hearts for the preaching Lord help me is I speak to say things plainly and simply and clearly Lord. I pray that you would help me to Laid upon me. People I pray that be challenged they be encouraged Lord. And if anybody here does not know you as their savior Lord. I pray that today would be the day that would trust you as for their eternal life and a home in heaven. We praise you you are great and gracious God in Jesus name. A man you may be seated. A microphone on here real quick. There we go. Well 20/20 is finally over and in the history books and we need to change our church needs to say 2020 is it is it would actually be true no matter how bad you want to and some of us badly want to go back and change some things but we can end this time of year is usually filled with New Year's resolution resolution. I gave up making to your resolutions long time ago though. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a good thing and it's a x a kind of looked forward. It's a little bit introspective and it's a little bit of looking forward and dreaming about what the New Year might be like and it's always good to have some gold. So I look,

I dunno and it could be terrible, but that's just the way I am. And so I look ahead at 20 21 and I think to myself this year has got to be better than last year. That's what we're all hoping for in all the old saying is going to knock on wood or whatever. You know why I posted a few memes that are kind of funny, you know, it's kind of like nobody stay or do anything cuz we want to be better than 20/20, you know, but I believe they're not all the years in my life has been bad but I would say 2020 and I think there was a national poll that I saw a post is like 50% of everybody in America thinks the 2020 was the worst year ever within like the last fifty or something years, you know, and I thought well, maybe it was I don't know but you know this idea of being out in front of us. I just want to Preach on this subject of forgetting reaching and pressing on you. See that verse 13 brother and I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind reaching forth unto those things, which are before. I press toward the mark of the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. So I want to encourage you no matter how you ended out. 2020-2021 is yet to be written and this year will be what you make of it. It will be how it will turn out the way it turns out based on the circumstances you find yourself in but how you react to those circumstances. And so I just want you to go forward for the Lord's Point number one for you. This morning is first of all be forgetful. What do we see there and verse 13 brother and I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do forgetting. Getting those things, which are behind.

Number one if you got to be forgetful and we're told to forget something. Why do you think that is that we are told to forget some things there in versus XIII the Apostle Paul here. So I'm forgetting those things which are behind. Why should we forget some things? Well Better or For Worse our past often is used to define us. You know, what your past experiences the past is the things that you've you've already seen and done and accomplished or failed. And so whether it's good weather, it's a bad. We as human beings and our our nature as a human is to let the past Define Us in the past. I didn't live in, Indiana.

That's one of those things that we we have people don't we?

Marine veteran I'll tell you a funny story. I like to wear my Marine veteran hat that I have a note says USMC veteran Rasta, you know embossed on the side of it. And you go. Why do you do that? Because people leave me alone. That's why and so I am a little bit of a rebel. I admit it. I didn't wear a mask in Walmart and I didn't do it with my veteran hat on cuz that way people leave me alone. And I thought you know what that's just to show you how much of an influence I am on people by just wearing a hat. I was waiting in line as my wife was returning some items. So I was outside the line, you know where the customer service counter is and I'm standing off to the side. They now the line and this other gentleman was in the line, and he turns to me and he goes paid. I just wanted to thank you for your service. Thank you, and he probably took his mask off.

When that's just me. Okay, you do what you need to do the feel safe. I'm not telling you one way or the other when it comes to math wearing but that's a part of my past and that's a part of what makes me up who I am and makes me who I am and we're told him to be forgetful because of your past that is because Better or For Worse, sometimes you can get trapped in that way of life that mode that thought process and so we're told to be forgetful. So what are some things that we need to forget about the first boss past circumstances example of that. We all went through some things we would rather not have to repeat and everybody has hope everybody has dreamed. We all make plans we all view where we are and where we want to be and and I think every person makes plans to some degree or some extent. But those don't always come to pass it always come to fruition and you take your stove. Well, I just I wanted to do that nut didn't turn out and then become angry and up and sometimes that in itself when you have an unrealised expectation that will trap you and you'll be stuck and won't move forward for the Lord. I was contacted by a young man this week who I used to teach when I was at Tabernacle as a youth pastor there and I used to teach in the Christian school and he messaged me through Facebook and he went. Hey preacher he goes, how do I you know, I've been praying about this situation. I got some doors opening some other doors closed meeting and then and I've been asking God to lead me and guide me and dragged me and I I just feel like he's not answering as a how do I know and God answering and I said, well, that's that's actually easier than you think it is.

You got to clear. No, no don't do it. And sometimes you get a clear wait, I've had those before and then there's silence and it goes I'm getting silent and I said there's a rule that one is what are you thinking about doing? Is it contrary to the word of God? Because if it's contrary to the word of God don't do it, and I said if it's contrary to God's will for your life and you know what God wants you to do if it's contrary to that then you're not supposed to do it either. But if it's not contrary to God's word is not contrary to God's will for your life. Then God's going to leave it in your hands whether or not you do it or don't do it. It's up to you. Anyway, thank you for Teacher. There you go. You know, that's how God kind of talk. You know, I think of Daniel and his three friends hananiah mishael and Azariah and I think about the situation they found them self in they were in Israel. And Israel was carried away to Babylon. The only left a few people in the land into captivity in the land of Babylon and I think to myself surely those young men because they were either a young man surely they had plans they were thinking of that says, hey, I'm looking forward to getting married and starting a family and maybe building a life for myself. That's probably the plans that they had. You know, what all of that changed because they were carrying captive into Babylon sometimes I think that's how we feel. About things that happened her own life specially 20 20, 20 20 through quite the curveball a lot of people. I think it's been harder on emotionally than anything else because of so many plans that you couldn't do. I know I know weddings that were very large weddings. They got reduced to just a small handful of family. You know, I know my daughter didn't even have a regular graduation that the regular High School graduation all had to chase them and you've been working for a graduation for 12 + years. It's a rite of passage in America to graduate from high school. And now you're in front of a camera instead of a crowd, you know, that's the difference between itself sometimes things change and you have to adapt to that but I think of Daniel and his three friends and their fault that they were carried away into captivity and it wasn't anything that they did and I'm sure they had a vision to have a life and a family and into to build that Play Israel and I didn't get to realize any of it because life through them a curveball. They're not the ones that sinned against God was there their fathers before them pronounce the judgement of God said, hey, I'm going to carry you all the way because of the stand that you committed. They weren't centers of themselves. They were trying to serve the Lord trying to do their best for him. But none of that matters if ball so that's not to say do you need to give up on all your hopes and all your dreams? It just means that whatever those hopes and dreams are you may have to adapt them to your now present course of life and I want you to think about this if you feel like you have lost the thing that you're looking for in the past if you fail to look forward to what God has put in front of you you might miss the very thing that you've been Desiring all along. And that's true. Sometimes we get so hurt so offended with Florida. I've been praying for this and I want you to do this and thought I wanted I thought you'd handle this and you'd give this to me that you have not got that I didn't get it and now all the sudden everything's different. I've heard that a lot in the last few months. Everything's different. You're all worried about the way things went. You might not see the blessing this right in front of you miss the thing. You've been asking the Lord to give you all along. So what do you have to forget you need to get some past circumstances that second thing you need to forget as you need to forget your failures and your sin failures are not necessarily sin, but they could be sinful. And so I kind of group the two of those things together both failures and stand I don't like to fail but we have all failed at something. We have weave if you've attempted anything at all, there's a there's a pretty good possibility that you may fail and if you attempt to serve the Lord guess what there's a possibility for you to fail and if you decide to live for God guess what you're going to fail God because you're a human being you are going to fall down you are going to either fail him or you're going to stand against him Proverbs 24 verse 16 stats for a just man falls seven times and Rises up again, but the wicked shall fall into Mischief convince you that you are nothing but a failure cuz he will do that. All right, if you haven't committed any pain at all, he'll love to hold that over your head and get you to sing to yourself at all. I can't do anything for God. I know a man who I believe was called to preach. And I he made some unwise choices in his life. And he said will God God can't use me anymore. I said man. If God can't use you he can't use any of us cuz we're all a bunch of tanners. Even by our own good works. We're getting to Heaven because Jesus Christ paid our way he paid for our sins. And so don't let it be the thing that keeps you from going forward for the Lord to you have to beat forgetful of that a just man falleth seven times and Rises up again adjust Man rises. That's the whole point. That's the sign of adjust individual Proverbs 28 verse 13 says he that covereth his sin shall not Prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them she'll have mercy and that's what a just man will do. He will confess them He will forsake them and God will grant him Mercy you and I aren't getting

Jesus Christ paid our way, it's his salvation and you had nothing to do with it. And when you got saved he never guaranteed you that you would never see it again. It is never ever said that there's not a single. It in in your Bible not a single verse that says that you get saved. You'll never see it again. That's not their it never left this Earth and you're living in heaven with God where there is no sin, cuz then he'll take that ability away. That's the only time but if you live if you're breathing right now and you're a present with us on this planet, you can still send so don't let don't let failures hold you back. Maybe you've attempted something for God you failed at it and you feel ashamed of yourself. Well, I tried and I failed maybe it was maybe it was it a commitment to do something and you failed at it. Maybe it was a business venture and you failed at it. Maybe it was a new position at work and you failed at it. What does it matter? Don't let those things hold you back learn from them and stand as the same way you may have thinned in your life, but their sin is not the end of you if you are breathing and you're alive you can serve the Lord. We're supposed to forget some things. What are we supposed to forget past circumstances be failures in sin and see their it's past success and accomplishments.

I don't mean you don't have memories of them. That's not the idea but it's always interesting that when you're around some people think doesn't mean it's going to work this time and just because it worked last time does it mean to do with the exact same way this time Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 8 does better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit and verse 10 says in Ecclesiastes chapter 7 say not that what is the cause that the former days were better than these without does not require wisely concerning this you ever noticed that we always lends enchantment to the view. The good old days were not always so good. Anyways, we just tend to forget about the things that were hard and remember the things that are good. Condos memories of when we were younger with a lot of nostalgia. I mean it I'll just tell you right now boot camp in the Marine Corps is probably fine, but you talk to anybody who's a veteran. And you thought it was the coolest thing ever. I mean, I still have my kids all the time. I've known him videos of going to the gas chamber. Yeah, that's not fun at all. But I look back on it was like that's right. I did that and I'm bragging about it to the kid why cuz distance lends enchantment to the view. Sometimes we look back at things. Let me go. I wish I would have never left their wish I would have never wish I would have never stop doing that and I wish I would have started doing this way back in those days. One of the things I told this young man who came to me about advice about praying for the Lord asking him to show him his will and I told him yes and no and wait in silence as if it's one of the things that I have learned in my lifetime. And I keep telling my children as I say when God is silent and it's not contrary to the word of God and is not contrary to the will of God Don't Make your decision without going home. And I said both physically go home and also in relationship if you're not right with your parents, you're not right with your siblings. You're not right back home. You need to get those things right first or at least attempt to get the right. I mean you might attempt in somebody else's want to get right with you. There's nothing you can do about that. But you need to be as right as you can be with your family and then you need to go home and make those decisions because it will give you a perspective doesn't mean it would change you might you might end up going in the direction you wanted to go you might end up doing what you were wanting where you're going to be in the future. You might have got there anyways, but if you're home and we'll give you a perspective. And so we need to give up sometimes past successes and past accomplishments. It's okay to go. Old are my dad used to say son you can drive by. Just don't park there. That's some good advice that my dad is always dead son. You can drive by just don't park there because you can't change what was in the past. You can't do it. So rejoice in the memories of success, but don't allow those pattern or the tablet to limit what you can do tomorrow and it may be that the Lord will want you to do something that is entirely outside of your comfort zone. And if you view his request through the glasses of the past, You may end up missing the blessings that he has for you in the future, but we got to be willing to give up something. You got to give up some past circumstances got to give up failures and Stan and you got to give up past except for the cough. Once you do that. Guess what it's time to point number to reach forward time to reach forward Philippians 3 verse 13 brother and I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

So what are some things that are before? Well, I we started off talking about New Year's resolutions Proverbs chapter 21 verse 5 does the thoughts of the diligent 10 only two plenteousness, but if everyone that is hasty

Proverbs 16 verse 9 a man's heart deviseth his way. But the Lord directs his steps. What do you have if if you don't have any gold at all? Cuz there is Major living life by accident, but you should be living life on purpose. You only have one life to live your life and nobody at the end of the day. I'm glad I spent my whole life in the Lord. They don't have as much as I did or as little as I did I all your Forever person I know is always that I wish I could have done more. I don't think a single person know we always usually look back and then go I wish I would have done more what the only way you're going to get more done all the way you're going to achieve more things to just have a gold kind of goals do you have You want to have some you can't be sliding through life, you know, you can't be coasting on neutral or somebody once said I heard a preacher one time. You said any old dead fish can float Downstream to take against the current that's pretty good people. They just have to be goals. And some goals are going to be the same year after year after year after year. Maybe it's just a read your Bible consistently. Maybe you didn't read your Bible consistently in 2020. Then you don't be a good goal. Hey, I'm going to read my Bible consistently in 2021 and I say consistently because how you read is not how I read my wife can read like this. I'll go ahead you read this thing goes. Yeah the prolific reader and she's like a photographic memory, you know, not me I have to go.

Alibis focus and then I got to think about what I'm reading for a little bit. That's why I say reading your Bible regularly get yourself some sort of schedule get yourself something. You can check off every time you've read a chapter reread a book some method some way that you're in the word of God on a regular basis. You know what I want to be a good husband. I want to be a good father. Those are my goals year after year. I tell my kids I said, I want you to love God love your family and loved being in church. Those are my three main goals as a father in as a husband and I want my children to have a desire to be in God's house. Once they grow up and then go out into the world. There's a pandemic in Christianity of people growing up and leaving church and I think to myself why is that I didn't part of it is because that's as parents. Don't show them what church can be like in so we stood around with well bless God Amen. We're always mad when I was angrier always upset about some You know what? I want to be the best husband. I can pee. I want to be a father. I can be I want my children to grow up and go and I'm lucky to have a dad like you and I don't think I'm nothing special. Somebody else doesn't I'm just trying to say I'm going to try to invest in my children as best as I know how and so I'm trying to trade a place where they a relationship with him where they want to come to me. I want to be the best of my job that I do. I got a lot of them. I want to be the best pastor. I can be I want to be the best HVAC technician I can be and also I don't think it's normal gold that you should have but you can't just stay there and not do anything with them. You have to keep them in front of you. I want to be a witness for the Lord Jesus. I want to tell somebody how they can be saved. I want to tell somebody about Jesus. I know and that's probably one of the hardest ones on there. I know Bridger it's kind of hard to tell people. Yeah, well think about this I get to go into people's houses all the times HVAC technician. And when the holy spirit says you got to witness to him. How would you respond on that one you go. Oh, no. I'm I'm here on company time. I can't do that while I'm blessed economy heating and air has scripture on the side of our vehicles and on most of our pamphlet. So sometimes God just uses that is an Open Door Bible verse

I just want to be a witness for him. You know things like that and that we could State more but those type of goals they don't they don't happen by accident. You have to reach for them. You have to be willing to force yourself to stretch out for them and to attempt them. If God has laid something on your heart he gave it to you because you're the person to accomplish it. I always love it. Every Ministry I've ever been a part of people have come to me whether I was the assistant pastor of the youth pastor or whatever the church to do this and I go great he who has the burden gets the job hallelujah. Oh, I don't want to do it. I thought maybe somebody else could do that.

You're the person who had the idea for it. He's giving you that I desire you should act on it. Listen, if you're not sure what God wants you to do. You have to just ask him cuz he'll show you he'll tell you and if you don't have any goals, then you're kind of living by accident and you just set some goals and live on purpose. Still have plenty of time. I started freaking early man. I'm going to go along today. That's how that's going to work to reach forward to new ideas. Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 18 since then. I told him of the hand of my god with a good upon me as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me and they said let us rise up and build so they strengthen their hand or this good work. You know, I don't I don't want to stand still where I was yesterday. I don't want to be today where I am today. I don't want to be tomorrow and one thing that I've learned in my 42 and a half years of life. Is it nothing ever stays the same? Born in the 70s of the child in the eighties as a teenager in the 90s. Celebrating my 20th High School reunions in the summer of 2016. I'm going to be 43 this year in 2021. Nothing stays the same it never dies it never will. Don't compromise when it comes to biblical Doctrine, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with using the tools of today to share the gospel with other people when in the pandemic hit and they shut everything down your services. They were they were blessed with the internet and you shouldn't even have a computer. I've heard preachers say that and then the coronavirus quick Facebook account spend $2,000 get is a bunch of cameras in here and let's stream our services.

why because the technology is not the problem. It's how you use the technology remember back in the day. You probably ball heard preachers that used to be just preach about televisions in owning television watching television cable TV.

anymore those commercials are as a perverted as the television shows. What's it there's not a lot of good on there. But you can use that technology so many churches now stream their services. This one's being streamed people from all over watch it people from all over comment on it the gospels going out. There's nothing wrong with new ideas. Everybody has a computer in their pocket. Call the smartphone and it makes us Dumber. I don't even know my phone number. And I don't know what the hell's this phone number because it's all stored in 9,000 phone all the smartphone. So has it really smart? It's smart and I'm dumb. That's what happened it become smarter and I become Dumber. Listen, don't be afraid to harness the power of technology and use it for God's glory. You can do that my aunt and uncle. Nobody knocked on their door to tell them about Jesus. Nobody went to them and share the love of Christ. Uncle Dave sitting in his house drinking his beer Sunday afternoon sitting there with the cable television back in the 80s, you know, when add a little box. Flipping through the channels. What did he come across Billy Graham Crusade?

Pause and stays there then pause when he stays on that channel and he watches a Billy Graham crusade interest him swipe comes in. They start watching the Billy Graham on a regular basis and guess how my aunt and uncle came to know Jesus Christ as their savior. Billy Graham crusade that was broadcast on the wicked television. Because technology can be used for God's glory.

Don't be afraid of new ideas. I like to make jokes about things we had back. We all bubble lights off this morning, but there's a red bulb on one side and a blue bulb on the other side and it's shining up the wall. And I come from a generation of preachers who don't like colored lights on walls.

To contemporary and I always make this joke I go. Hey, can we hang a picture in the auditorium on wall decorations on the wall? Oh, yeah, we can hang some decorations on the wall.

Don't be any use it wisely technology can be used with idli and Technology can be used wisely compromise when it comes to the word of God don't compromise when it comes to the power of the Gospel in the scriptures don't give up your biblical standards, but don't be afraid to use what is available to you in the year in which you live. It is 2021 and the reach of this church is far greater than it would have been more than it could be even 20 years ago. Even 15 years ago Facebook. Started in 2004 if I'm not mistaken 16 years ago.

The last Wednesday, which was actually for us a Tuesday Tuesday night service of the year. We had our missionaries in Lao. Present with us in the service and it was not a miracle of Star Trek. We didn't beam them over. We just had them up on the big screen and we had a microphone and we got to talk back and forth to them. And it was wonderful. It was wonderful. You know there was a day when you'd bring a missionary family in you put your hands upon them and you'd pray for them in the same room. We couldn't do that cuz they're on the other side of the country way up to the front and we prayed over them. Anyways, we couldn't physically Reach Out And Touch them, but they were with us that evening. That is wonderful. So be Reaching Forward using some new ideas. Do you have gold you have new ideas and also to help other 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 25 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth forward to help those who don't even know they are long. That's what the idea of an meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. They they're going to want to hear the truth. They're opposing themselves and they don't even know it if they continue on the road. They're gone if they're living the way they've been living without the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior when they die in limbo somewhere they're going to wake up in hell if they don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior and so that's why the Bible says in meekness instructing. We don't do that in the political realm, you know politics of done that we've been moving away from each other. We all agree to that because it's bad. And we don't try to know what they we don't want to know their perspective and I don't want to know our perspective. That's what instructing does you get to learn and sometimes people are going to outright reject. You have to tell them they're going to go.

People don't even know their opposing themselves. That's why I like using the good test. That's why I like asking people. Do you think you're a good person? Cuz what does everybody say that if you were asked that question, what would you say? Yeah, I'm a pretty good person. Great mind me asking you some questions to see how good of a person you really are quotes that make you a liar give it to you.

Regardless of its value to the stall a pencil out of the teacher's desk cuz the kid is not a big deal if you still took something that didn't belong to you. What's that make you? If you use God's name in vain, oh, yeah, and you sleep when you talk to people like that. If I don't use God's name in vain in 3 months ago.

Holy God, you're mad. You're upset. You want Express the stuff. You should be saying something to express disgust instead of using a high. Holy name of God's Express blasphemy in the meaning that you are guilty. Never look a lot while yeah, I'm a red-blooded American man. Yes. I have heard that response before. So you go home. So you said you're a good person. I'm not judging you deserve what you have said you've admitted to being a line leaving Blasphemous adulterer at heart. Does that concern you? Yeah. Stop instructing people that oppose themselves and if they see themselves for what they really are a sinner who has violated God's holy law then when they are introduced to Jesus and the fact that he died to pay for their sin so they don't have to die.

And accept Jesus Christ as their savior. That's what it's Trucking. Those are deposed themselves mean. It says they're in 2nd Timothy 2:25 of God forever Adventure. We don't use the word. Then perhaps perhaps we'll give them repentance to be acknowledging of the truth. It might it might be that that's the thing that eclipse in their mind Lord forgive me. I want to be saved and accept Jesus Christ as their savior. So we're supposed to wear supposed to reach forward to helping out of number 3, and I'll be done will be done here very quickly. You supposed to press toward I press toward the mark of the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. That's Philippians 3:14. This is really where the rubber meets the road.

Hear some statistics about New Year's resolutions. Did you know that 45% of Americans usually make New Year's resolution. What if I've said almost half of us actually think about her, you know, hey, you know what to do here. I'm going to do that. I'm going to start exercising. I'm gonna start eating last time unless I want to watch less TV. I want to read more books. I mean, it does look kind of the standard ones, right? You know, I'm going to get up a little earlier. I'm a stay up a little later. Whatever it is, you know, I keep my house clean under half of Americans usually make New Year's resolutions.

Those are people who are successful in actually achieving their resolutions 8% but here's the big one. people who explicitly make resolutions are ten times more likely to attain their goals, then people who don't explicitly make resolutions. So let me explain that to you. If you were to write it down and say this is my goal in 2020 or explicitly stated. Posted on social media write it on your calendar on your fridge put it on a Post-It stick it in the front cover your Bible. Whatever that is, you explicitly state that goal. You are ten times more likely to achieve it in the person who never States it never write that down never makes a point of actually verbalizing what that goal is lot of us oftentimes just kind of not explicitly stating a goal. So I'm kind of tired of the way things are that's not it either You have to explicitly stated. Can be very difficult, but if you make a specific goal, you'll be focused and achieving that goal your 10 times more likely that those who don't make a specific goal. I give my advice for this is expedient for you who have begun before not only to do but also to be forward a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing of it that has there was a Readiness to will so there may be a performer also out of that which he have. Fort there first be a willing mind it is accepted according that a man half and not according to that he have not so if you have a willing mind and there's a Readiness to will not perform the doing of it. We got to press toward the mark. Listen. If it's in your power to change something then change it if it is not within your power then you must accept it. You must accept the things you cannot change and all you can do is move forward perform the doing of it. You got to press toward the mark no matter how hard it is no matter what the struggle You understand that you have to travel, you know that there will be difficulties in that they will be were obstacles in the way but you got to keep your eyes on the finished the Finish Line. You got to say there's two goal. There's a prize. That's what I'm going for things might getting away things might be obstacles 2021 might throw were things in my past that 20/20 did but that's the end. I want to live that. I want to be live pleasing to the Lord back when I was in the Marines and I was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base when we would run a physical fitness test. We had to run 3 miles. Where is a couple guys are just blow me out of the water, but I can run 3 miles in 20 minutes flat I could do that and that was always my goal. I always wanted to get my 3 Mile run time 20 minutes.

Never ever could I came in one time at 19 minutes and 50 seconds, but that's because we ran it as a battalion and they don't start the stopwatch till the last guy gets across the starting line. So I got in the front of the crowd and I got a 10-second Advantage. It's all I got, you know, so I never felt like I really actually beat the 20 minute goal, but I at least never wanted to do worse. I didn't go last minute and a half minutes and it was Mississippi. It was hot. It was humid. It would be 95 degrees 95% humidity. I mean you just walked outside and just was breathing water. It was so thick down there, around that corner every time and I knew I had one quarter of a mile. To see the end you turned a little corner and you were at the finish line in front of the Marine Barracks there. And I thought to myself my side hurts. I've already dehydrated and I was a I was a big water Drinker in those days. I mean you knew who was drinking water when you went into the physical fitness working out with that. All the rooms are running because the guys who drink water sweat profusely. I'm drenched my lungs are burning and there were many times. I came across the Finish Line ready to pass out. Could you give her pass out? No, I never did. I wanted to a few times. But I knew my goal was 20 minutes. I knew how far the Finish Line was. I knew when I came around that corner was going to be a long miserable quarter miles is a long straight stretch and he was always at your back, but I actually drove me nuts cuz then it doesn't blow anything off yet. I was running Against the Wind cuz it made you feel a little bit cooler. There's always at your back you felt like you were ecstatic are less. I was moving around you feeling this the way that the geography was there, but I knew what was at the finish line and I press toward the mark so in conclusion, what are you going to do this year? Are you going to forget those things that are behind you? Are you going to reach forward to what is in front of you? Are you going to press on to reach your goal or you just going to? Slide on through life kind of living by accident for the Lord. Our God is worth us serving him serve him on purpose. Don't serve him by accident. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.