One Thing I Do: A New Year Call to Press On

As one year closes and another begins, many of us feel the tension between reflection and anticipation. We look back on what has been lost and gained, what we regret and what we are proud of. And quietly, often beneath the surface, we wonder what kind of people we will become in the year ahead.

Paul offers us a simple, steady word for this moment.

Philippians 3:13–14 [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Paul is giving us a way to live under the gospel.

Why pressing on is possible

Paul begins with honesty: “I do not consider that I have made it my own.” 

His confession isn’t a weakness; it is clarity.

The gospel tells us that we move forward by depending on Christ. Paul has already dismantled every reason he might trust in himself. His background, his discipline, his achievements… none of them can give him the life he needs. Only Christ can.

That truth matters at the start of a new year. Many of us carry a quiet pressure to do better, to fix ourselves, or to justify our place before God and others. Paul reminds us that the Christian life begins with grace. We press on because we already have God’s favor in Christ.

The past must loosen its grip

Paul says he forgets what lies behind. He doesn’t mean he erases his memory. He means he refuses to let the past control his present.

Some of us enter a new year weighed down by regret. Others are tempted to lean on past success. Both can keep us from real growth. 

Regret says, “You’re stuck.”
Pride says, “You’re done.”
The gospel says neither is true.

In Christ, our failures are forgiven, and our achievements are no longer our identity. That frees us to stop living backward. Forgetting, in Paul’s sense, is trust. It is believing that Christ’s work matters more than yesterday’s record.

Desire matters more than discipline

Paul describes his life as straining forward. This is focused longing. Paul wants Christ… I don’t mean Christ’s benefits, but Christ Himself.

This is where many of us feel exposed. We may believe the right things, but our desires feel scattered. We are busy, distracted, and often satisfied with less than God. The problem isn’t that we want too much; it’s that we settle for too little.

Prayer and fasting exist for this very reason. They are ways to reorder our loves. They help us say, with honesty, “Lord, I want to want You more.”

Paul presses on because Christ has already taken hold of him. His effort flows from love. His discipline is fueled by desire.

Christ is the prize

Paul’s goal isn’t a better version of himself. The world doesn’t need that… it needs a Christ-like version of you!

The prize is Christ; knowing Him fully, belonging to Him completely, and sharing in the life He gives.

That future shapes how Paul lives now. His eyes are lifted beyond the immediate and the temporary. He knows where he belongs, and that gives him freedom to live lightly in this world while pressing deeply into God.

As we begin a new year, this is the invitation before us: don’t chase resolutions; pursue Christ. Don’t seek to manage our behavior, but to deepen our hunger.

Preparing for Prayer and Fasting: Simple Steps Forward

As we approach our 21 Days of Prayer and our Week of Fasting, here are a few grounded ways to live out Philippians 3:13–14:

Release what is behind
In prayer, name one thing from the past year [failure, fear, or pride] that you need to entrust to God again. Ask Him for the grace to stop carrying what He has already addressed.

Refocus your desire
Start with who you want God to be in your life this year, not what you want Him to change. Let that shape your prayers.

Fast with purpose
Choose something that regularly fills your attention or comfort. Let the absence create space for prayer rather than frustration.

Pray simply and consistently
Paul says, “one thing I do.” Choose one clear request related to your hunger for God and return to it each day.

Press on together
Paul calls others to follow his example. Don’t walk into this season alone. Share, pray, and encourage one another as a church family.

The start of a new year doesn’t require perfection. It requires direction.

Forgetting what lies behind.
Straining toward what lies ahead.
Pressing on toward Christ.

That is the path Paul sets before us. And as we seek God together with hungry hearts, we trust that He will meet us with grace.