Brethren, I (Paul) do
not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind me, I reach forward to those things which are ahead. I
press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians
3:13-14)
The apostle Paul had reason to forget the past — he was guilty of persecuting Christians before he himself became a Christian. He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 22:20). When Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus, he was on his way then to persecute more Christians.
Because our hope is in Christ, we can let go of past guilt and regrets and look forward to what God will help us to do and become. Don’t dwell in the past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now.
The apostle Paul turned 180 degrees and became a great man of God, receiving an abundance of revelations, and scripting two-thirds of the New Testament.
"We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it." (Rick Warren)
Jesus said, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
Glance in the rearview mirror as needed, but keep your eyes mainly focused on the road in front of you.