When I was running this morning, I noticed that we are a world of signs. Signs warning us of what is ahead on the road, (when to slow down, when to turn), when there is danger, keeping us off a path, or to stay on track. Our Christian life is meant to be a life with a purpose. It is not supposed to be a walk to nowhere or anywhere, but to somewhere. It’s not just a walk we take, but a journey that has a destination, and there are signs along the way to let us know how far along we have traveled in God’s Word.

The Apostle Paul knew from personal experience what the Christian life was all about. He knew where he was going, and he could tell you or anybody else how to get there. Although Paul had a past, the Christian life to Paul wasn’t about the past, but instead, it was about the present and the future. “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.” (Philippians 3:13, 14)

Today, we tend to solve our problems by looking back to the root. To Paul, he had a past, but he did not waste time looking backward. We tend to move in the direction we are looking. As we drive, if we spend our time looking back, we will go off the road. It stands to reason that a person who spends a lot of time looking at his or her past life will sooner or later end up going backward. When a person really understands what the Christian life is all about, there is no reason to look back. We can have confidence in knowing that God knows exactly where we are going and how we should get there. So as we navigate through life, we need to continually ask God for directions and through prayer and God’s Word, He will keep us on the right path.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105