This is one of my favorite passages — Philippians 3:13-14. Paul writes this letter from a prison in Rome, most likely in chains. It's worth sitting with that for a second: this is the context he's writing from, and yet the message that comes out of it is one of the most forward-looking, hopeful passages he wrote.
"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 3:13-14
Authentic, Not Perfect
What stands out first is Paul's honesty. He doesn't present himself as having arrived, as the exhaustive authority who's run a perfect race. He says the opposite — I don't even know that I've fully taken hold of this yet. There's something disarming about that kind of authenticity from someone whose writing makes up so much of the New Testament.
One Thing
"But one thing I do" — five simple words, and they carry real weight. When we fail at something, it's rarely from a lack of effort. We want the thing. We have the drive. What we usually lack is focus. Paul doesn't list six priorities or eight commitments. He narrows it down to one: forgetting what's behind, straining toward what's ahead.
We can't change yesterday's failure, and we can't relive yesterday's success either — both are already written. That cuts both ways for Paul specifically. He held the coats while Stephen was stoned in Acts — a genuine, painful failure. He was also a formidable Pharisee, deeply versed in Scripture — a real strength. Both are true, and both are behind him now. Neither one is where his focus goes.
Straining Forward
"Strain" isn't a word we use often for the things we're chasing. But picture a personal best on the bench press — shaking, struggling, giving everything to make one more rep happen. That's the weight of the Greek word Paul uses here. Total effort, leaning forward, reaching, exhausted, all pointed in one direction: forward.
A car's windshield is far bigger than its rearview mirror for a reason. The mirror still matters — it tells us where we've come from, and sometimes that history informs where we're headed next. But we can't change what's back there. Paul presses toward the goal, the prize of God's heavenward call in Christ Jesus — the same intensity and zeal he once poured into persecuting Christians, now redirected entirely toward Christ.
What This Actually Means Day to Day
It's simple, even if it isn't easy: forget yesterday. God says He keeps no record of wrongs — if it's not important enough for Him to hold onto, it isn't something we need to keep carrying either. That doesn't mean we skip repentance; we're still called to that. But repentance is followed by moving forward, not staying stuck replaying what happened.
The enemy knows exactly which buttons to push, because more often than not, we're the ones who've shown him where they are. He doesn't sleep, and he's constantly trying to put yesterday — or even today's noise — back in front of our eyes. But when our focus stays fixed forward, on the prize, the distractions on the periphery start to fade into the background where they belong.
Wake up new. Let go of what happened yesterday. Focus on one thing, and keep pressing toward it.
You can catch this devotional and every weekday message live on carltondewaynedunko.com, Monday through Thursday at 9:15 AM Eastern. Carlton also co-hosts the original 9:15 Devotional, where you'll find the full video archive and more ways to connect.