Putting the Past Behind You

One of my favorite movies is Forrest Gump. The beloved fictional story of a small town boy from Greenbow, Alabama named Forrest Gump who despite an I.Q. of only 75 manages to live a life that few dream of living. He meets three Presidents, is a Vietnam War Hero, an All American collegiate football player, and eventually becomes a millionaire and doesn't even realize the extent of his life's success. My favorite part of the movie is when Forrest decided to go for a little run. Forrest said, "That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going. " He ran clear across the country three different times. He states that while he was running he "put the past behind him" which means that all of the negative and bad things he had experienced in life, he was finally able to put to rest. I think sometimes we as Christians, need to hear the words of Forrest Gump who said it best, "sometimes you gotta put the past behind you." The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:13-14-"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Paul had a horrible past to live down. He was a man who persecuted and sought to kill early Christian believers. It wasn't until he met Christ on the road to Damascus that he was saved and his life was transformed. He said these words in Colossians to show us that he wasn't going to let those things of his past keep him from going forward and fulfilling God's plan and perfect will in his life. Paul also tells us in Romans 8:1-"There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." We shouldn't live under condemnation if we truly have been saved and born again by the Holy Spirit our past is in the past. We have a bright future in Jesus Christ, so put the past behind you and look unto Jesus.