The Apostle Paul is arguably the greatest apostle of the first century church, even though he began as a religious terrorist persecuting the church. When he found Jesus, or better when Jesus found him on the road to Damascus, Paul, or Saul as he was called then, began a life of letting go. Letting go of his mindset against Jesus and accepting Jesus as the Christ the resurrected Son of God, the first born among many brethren. Paul had to let go of his righteousness, which he had from the law. He lost His pedigree. And all things that had been counted as gain he now counted as loss for Christ.
But now Paul was old. He was still pursuing Christ and His resurrection. Had he acquired truths, disciplines, holiness, comparable to Christ? No. He was still letting go and reaching forward. Paul said, “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 at ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14
Paul never stopped letting go, leaving behind, in order to reach forward and press toward. He saw the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus of greater value than anything else. So he left all everyday, forgot all that was behind.
Letting go is different than putting aside. To let go means we relinquish claim and rights, and we no longer are responsible for such a thing. It is the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a moral issue–it is a control issue. When I forgive, I release control. And more importantly, I am freed from whatever control where I was locked in battle.
Imagine today as the first day of the rest of your life. All that has passed is old, and can be forgotten. Today is a new day, and God has made all things new. Now imagine you can walk into this new day without yesterday making claims on your new day. What you did wrong, the wrongs done to you, accomplishments great or not so great, things done on left undone, they are all swallowed up in this new day.
Now for the hardest and greatest part, push delete on your memory of yesterday and push play to your new day. See how long you can go without yesterday’s events crowding back into today. When you find those issues returning, send them back. It’s a new day, you are a new creation, old things have passed away and all things have become new. You’re free! You have released control of the past and now have the whole day to discover the new.
“Behold, I make all things new.” Revelations 21:5
