“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 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. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (Philippians 3:12-15). Paul identified one thing that united all of his effort and attention and energy. He focused on forgetting those things which are behind, reaching out to those things which are before, and pressing toward the mark. This is the repentance process and pretty much the whole gospel in a nutshell. To sin literally means to miss the mark, so to repent means to press towards the mark. And how do we do this? We recognize and confess when we have missed the mark so that we may leave behind and forsake that old collection of thoughts, words, and deeds that led us to miss the mark. We already tried that way and it turned out to be wrong. We can leave it behind. We don't need it anymore. But it is not enough merely to abandon the ways that we know to be wrong. We have to be continually reaching for the perfection that lies before us. If we are continually pressing toward the mark we will never be satisfied with where we are at. We are not perfect yet. There is more for us to do. And we have this promise. If we are doing everything that we know how to do just as hard as we can to be as close to Jesus Christ as we can possibly come up with, God will show us what lack we yet. He will reveal unto us in what ways we are otherwise minded. He will help us to improve our aim so that we may continue pressing toward the mark. It will always be out of reach before us, but the beautiful thing is that as we keep pressing toward it, we will grow from grace to grace and continuously be in favor with God and with our fellow men and women. If we are doing this one thing right, then we will always leave behind our failures and our triumphs behind us, where they will shrink into obscurity in the distance, and, even if it doesn't always seem like it, we will get closer and closer to perfection and apprehending all that the Father has and is.
