Looking Ahead

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection…” Philippians 3:10 In one of his books, Max Lucado tells a story about the late champion boxer Muhammad Ali taking someone to his barn where he stored his trophies and awards. Standing in the doorway, he pointed to his many trophies and said, “It ain’t nothing.” He had come to the conclusion that when all is said and done, his accomplishments meant very little. Many millenia earlier, the apostle Paul looked back on all of the things he had been proud of in his life, and he said, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss. I consider them rubbish.” Paul said this not because not because of adverse life experiences like Muhammad Ali, but because he had met the Lord Jesus. He was ready to let go of whatever was behind him so that he could serve the Lord and live by the power of the risen Savior. As we enter into this new year, there are many things from the previous 18-24 months that we would perhaps like to leave behind. Are there things in our past keeping us from experiencing the power of Christ’s resurrection? As we look ahead, Paul invites us to stand in the grace of Jesus Christ and to let go of everything that keeps us from serving Him. But that means it’s all about relationship! To know Christ, we must spend time with Him. To ex­perience His risen power, we must give up our own lives. To gain Christ, we must share in His sufferings. As we look ahead to this new year, may we acknowledge the past but still strive towards the future. May we seek to become like Jesus in all things, and as we gather together in person or online, may we seek to know Christ!L