“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Now the past, he’s leaving it behind with all of its mistakes, not letting it be a handicap for the present. The future, he lives in the present in anticipation of the future when he’ll grow and develop. Paul’s future is so absorbed with Christ that it motivates everything he says and does in the present. And he likens himself to a track star, running for a prize. And his prize is not some earthly reward, but for Christ himself!
Get ready to fight the good fight against legalism in Galatians. When this letter was written, it defended the gospel of Christ from people who wanted to reduce it to rules. Not surprising, Galatians has provided the backbone for several great spiritual revivals around the world. Freedom, we learn, is a serious fight. Allow grace to revolutionize your own life through these seven lessons from Dr. J. Vernon McGee.