“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.” — Philippians 3:13

>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<

There’s a maxim in golf that many players through the years have lived by: “One hole at a time.”

One element of golf that makes it such a beautiful and enduring sport is that each hole is its own entity. No matter whether you made a hole-in-one or five-putted, when you approach the next tee, none of that matters. You can completely reset. Now, of course, it’s not easy to set aside what just happened on the previous hole. The mental fortitude required to do so is what makes golf so entertaining — and so difficult. But if you want to be successful and win, you must forget what is behind.

As followers of Christ, we would do well to adopt a similar mindset when it comes to living a life of faith and daily submission to Jesus.

In his letter to the Philippian Church, the apostle Paul was led by God the Holy Spirit to write in Chapter 3 about the goal of this Christian life, which is to know Christ and the power of His resurrection ever more deeply. It’s a goal that will be fully realized when believers stand perfected before God, in all His unfathomable glory, in the new heavens and new earth. But for now, in this body and in this life, Paul writes that it’s a joy to press on toward the goal of knowing Christ more intimately today than he did the day before.

And how did he do this? He answers that question in verses 13-14: “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.”

Paul experienced numerous challenges during his life — beatings, relational strife, abandonment, riotous rejection of the Gospel — but he also enjoyed many triumphs — mass conversions, fruitful discipleship, widespread support. If he dwelt on the setbacks, his ministry would have been crushed. If he dwelt on the successes, he would have grown complacent. The key for Paul was to “forget” from day to day what just happened, whether positive or negative, and look daily to the goal of drawing closer to Jesus.

So, like a golfer making his or her way through 18 holes and taking it “one hole at a time,” we too should approach each day as its own entity. Whether yesterday was riddled with sin or brimming with faithfulness, today is a new day, and our goal remains the same: to know Christ more. Don’t let yesterday affect how you seek to know Christ today and the power of His resurrection.

— Kevin Mercer

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him <<

>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more devotionals and stories where sports and faith connect <<

>> Dive more into God’s Word with Sports Spectrum through the YouVersion Bible App <<

If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com