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Reaching forward (1901) (epekteino from epi = into, upon + ekteino = to extend, stretch out <> ek = out + teino = to stretch) means literally to overextend oneself. Epekteino found only here in all of Scripture means to stretch one's muscles to their limit, attempting energetically to attain a state or condition. This verb was used to describe a runner who stretches out his neck and whose “eye outstrips and draws onward the hand, and the hand the foot.” (Wuest)
Eadie notes that epekteino present a vivid image of...
the keen attitude of the racer stretching his body out = ek and toward epi = the goal. (Philippians 3:12-13 Commentary)
The present tense describes this "overextending" as Paul's habitual practice and calls for this to also be our lifelong attitude. The apostle is in a race and he is sparing nothing. Every fiber of his body, every bit of strength that he can draw from a breath of air is being put into the pursuit of a goal.
Expositor's Bible Commentary describes this as...
the relentless centering of his energies and interests on the course that is ahead of him. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing)
The picture is of a foot race, in which the runner's head, shoulders and chest are bent forward and his eye fixed upon the goal, the tape at the end of the race so as to be the first one across the goal. Often a race is decided by a fraction of an inch, and the runner who is able to throw himself across the finish line by extending himself may be crowned the victor.
Paul is calling for an extreme effort, stretching one's self to the limit.
How are you doing? Do you have the focused attention that Paul is describing in your spiritual race? Or to ask it another way - What is your primary focus in life? What drives you? Where do you invest your time and energy and talent?
See related expositions...
Running with endurance the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1)
Fixing our eyes steadfastly on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)
Alexander Maclaren explains Paul's figure of "reaching forward", writing that...
The idea is that of a man stretching himself out towards something as a runner does, with his body straining forward, the hand and the eye drawn onward towards the goal. He does not think of the furlongs that he has passed, he heeds not the nature of the ground over which he runs. The sharp stones in the path do not stay him, nor the flowerets in the grass catch his glance. The white faces of the crowd around the course are seen as in a flash as he rushes past them to the winning post, and the parsley garland that hangs there is all that he is conscious of. “They do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.” Let us, with eye and hand flung forward, “stretch out towards the things that are before,” and imitate that example — not in the fierce whirl of excitement, indeed, but in fixed regard to, and concentrated desire of, the mark and the prize.
Spurgeon asks in regard to reaching forward...
Does he not here give us the picture of a runner? He reaches forth. The man, as he speeds, throws himself forward, almost out of the perpendicular. His eye is at the goal already. His hand is far in advance of his feet, the whole body is leaning forward; he runs as though he would project himself to the end of the journey before his legs can carry him there. That is how the Christian should be; always throwing himself forward alter something more than he has yet reached, not satisfied with the rate at which he advances, his soul always going at twenty times the pace of the flesh. John Bunyan gives us a little parable of the man on horseback. He is bidden by his master to ride in a hurry to fetch the physician. But the horse is a sorry jade. "Well," saith Bunyan, "but if his master sees that the man on the horse's back is whipping and spurring, and pulling the bridle, and struggling with all his might, he judges that the man would go if he could." That is how the Christian should always be, not only as devout, earnest, and useful as he can be, but panting to be a great deal more so, spurting this old flesh and striving against this laggard spirit if perchance he can do more. Brethren, we ought to be reaching forward to be like Jesus. Never may we say, "I am like so-and-so, and that is enough." Am I like Jesus, perfectly like Jesus? If not, away, away, away from everything I am or have been; I cannot rest until I am like my Lord. The aim of the Christian is to be perfect: if he seeks to be anything less than perfect, he aims at an object lower than that which God has placed before him. To master every sin, and to have and possess and exhibit every virtue, - this is the Christian's ambition. He who would be a great artist must not follow low models. The artist must have a perfect model to copy; if he does not reach to it, he will reach far further than if he had an inferior model to work by. When a man once realises his own ideal, it is all over with him. A great painter once had finished a picture, and he said to his wife with tears in his eyes, "It is all over with me, I shall never paint again, I am a ruined man." She enquired, "Why?" "Because," he says, "that painting contents and satisfies me; it realises my idea of what painting ought to be, and therefore I am sure my power is gone, for that power lies in having ideals which I cannot reach, something yet beyond me which I am striving after." May none of us ever say, "I have reached my ideal, now I am what I ought to be, there is nothing beyond me." Perfection, brethren, absolute perfection, may God help us to strive after it! That is the model, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." "Shall we ever reach it?" says one. Thousands and millions have reached it, there they are before the throne of God, their robes are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, and we shall possess the same, only let us be struggling after it by God's good help. Let every believer be striving, that in the details of common life, in every thought, in every word, in every action, he may glorify God. This ought to be our object; if we do not reach it, it is that which we must press for, - that from morning light to evening shade we shall live unto God. Whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we should do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. This is what we are to seek after, praying always in the Holy Ghost to be sanctified wholly, spirit, soul, and body. "It is a wonderfully high standard," says one. Would you like me to lower it, brother? I should be very sorry to have it lowered for myself. If the highest degree of holiness were denied to any one of us, it would be a heavy calamity. Is it not the joy of a Christian to be perfectly like his Lord? Who would wish to stop short of it? To be obliged to live under the power of even the least sin for ever, would be a horrible thing! No, we never can be content short of perfection; we will reach forward towards that which is before. (Philippians 3:13,14 Onward!)
Dwight Pentecost tells the following story illustrating the picture Paul is painting for us...
When I was in London, I found my way to several of the art museums and galleries of that city. I wanted to see some of the famous paintings I had become familiar with through books of art. It was a delightful experience to walk through those corridors. I was particularly struck with one painting. Two chariots were racing at breakneck speed. Their wheels were just a blur of motion. The charioteers, with whip in hand, were lashing their horses to the expenditure of every ounce of energy they had. Intensity was written in their eyes, in their faces, in the set of their bodies. The horses were straining themselves, it seemed, to the point of collapse. Their eyes wild, their nostrils distended, they gulped great breaths of air as they pressed toward the goal. With the goal before them, they were giving themselves unreservedly to the race. Those who had not so extended themselves had been left behind and were an insignificant part of the background of the painting. The attention of the viewer was focused upon the two charioteers who strained toward the goal. (Pentecost, J. D. The Joy of living: A study of Philippians. Page 144. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications)
Adam Clarke has an interesting quote...
When it was said to Diogenes, the cynic, "Thou art now an old man, rest from thy labours;" to this he answered: "If I have run long in the race, will it become me to slacken my pace when come near the end; should I not rather stretch forward?" Diog. Laert., lib. vi. cap. 2. sec. 6.
Stephen Olford writes...
Most people are afraid of the future. Uncertainty and insecurity about the days that lie ahead fill the heart with fear and foreboding. But for the Christian, there need be no fear. In the language of the old hymn, he can say with Edward H. Bickersteth:
Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.
(Play Hymn)
There is nothing that can ever happen which is not already foreknown and included within the permissive will of God. There is a sense that through trust in the living God we can foresee the things which are before us. The eventualities of life need neither terrify nor disturb us. (Olford, S. F. (2002). Vol. 2: Institutes of Biblical preaching: Volume two)
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This devotional illustrates the importance of not looking back but instead continually looking forward - Winning the Race - On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Within 2 months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. On August 7, 1954, the two met together for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, Landy held the lead. It looked as if he would win, but as he neared the finish he was haunted by the question, "Where is Bannister?" As he turned to look, Bannister took the lead. Landy later told a Time magazine reporter, "If I hadn't looked back, I would have won!"
One of the most descriptive pictures of the Christian life in the Bible is of an athlete competing in a race. 1Cor 9:24-27 (note) tells us that discipline is the key to winning. In Heb 12:1, 2 (notes - 12:1, 12:2) we are encouraged to lay aside anything that might hinder our spiritual advancement and to stay focused on Christ. And in Philippians 3:12, 13, the apostle Paul said,
"I press on...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead."
Lord, give us endurance as we run this race of life. Help us not to wallow in past failures, but to be disciplined and to shun sinful ways. May we fix our eyes on the eternal goal set before us and keep looking unto Jesus. -H G Bosch (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Run the straight race through God's good grace,
Lift up thine eyes and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the path and Christ the prize. -Monsell
You can't make spiritual progress
by looking back.
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TO WHAT LIES AHEAD: tois de emprosthen:
Literally "the things before"
What lies ahead (1715) (tois...emprosthen from en = in, + prósthen = in front of, before) refers to the things that are before or in front of, or ahead of us.
In his painting "An Allegory of Prudence," the 16th-century Venetian artist Titian portrayed Prudence as a man with three heads. One head was of a youth facing the future, another of a mature man eyeing the present, and the third, a wise old man gazing at the past. Over their heads Titian wrote a Latin phrase that means,
"From the example of the past, the man of the present acts prudently so as not to imperil the future."
We need that kind of wisdom to overcome the anxiety created by our past failures and the fear of repeating them in the future--an anxiety that can keep us from enjoying life to the fullest right now. Paul was able to "forget" his past and anticipate his future. This doesn't mean that his memory was erased, but it does mean that because God had forgiven him, Paul had a clean conscience and was free of any guilt or pride he may have felt from his past. As he lived in daily fellowship with Christ, trials became God's tools to gradually chisel him into conformity to Christ Jesus his Lord. Thus Paul's driving passion was to know Christ better. As we close the chapter of each year of our life, let's rededicate ourselves (not legalistically but under grace and in complete dependence on His Spirit) to follow Paul's example. The Spirit of Christ will enable us to live fully in the present as we gain wisdom from the past and face the future with courage. Refuse to let a bleak past cloud your bright future (see notes regarding exulting in our hope and in tribulations in Ro 5:2, 3 (notes = Ro 5:2 ; 5:3)
David Guzik writes...
Because Paul realizes that he has not "arrived," there is only one option open for him. He must press on. There is no turning back for Him.
When Spain led the world (in the 15th century), their coins reflected their national arrogance and were inscribed Ne Plus Ultra which meant "Nothing Further" - meaning that Spain was the ultimate in all the world. After the discovery of the New World, they realized that they were not the "end of the world" - they changed the inscription on their coinage to Plus Ultra - meaning "More Beyond."
Which motto better expresses your Christian life - "Nothing Further" or "More Beyond"?
This is where child-like faith meets real maturity. A child can't wait to be bigger, and always wants to be more mature. Paul has put his hand to the plow and will not look back (Luke 9:62). (Notes)
Tozer rightly observes that in the Christian life...
The normal Bible direction is not backward, it is always forward. Jacob returned to the altar, but in doing so he did not go back, he went forward. The Prodigal Son did not say, "I will go back"; he said, "I will arise and go to my father."
From where he was, going to his father's house was a forward step in his moral activities. It represented no retreat, but a distinct advance over his previous conduct.
The will of God is always the proper goal for every one of us. Where God is must be the place of desire. Any motion toward God is a forward motion. Even repentance is not a retreat toward the past but a decided march into a more glorious future. Restitution is not a return to yesterday but a step into a blessed tomorrow....
If we find that we have gone back, then we should immediately reverse the direction and again go forward. (The Next Chapter After the Last)
C H Spurgeon writes that...
Paul having put the past and present in their proper places goes on to the FUTURE, ASPIRING EAGERLY TO MAKE IT GLORIOUS. We ought to be reaching forward, to be like Jesus. He who would be a great artist must not follow low models. (see note Hebrews 12:2) “Be ye perfect.” Shall we ever reach it. Millions have who are before the throne, and we shall too by God’s good help.
PUTTING FORTH ALL HIS EXERTIONS TO REACH THAT WHICH HE DESIRES.
1. “This one thing I do.” He might have attempted other things, and did, but all with reference to this one purpose.
2. Why? Because he felt God had called him to it.
3. Moreover he saw the crown.
Alexander Maclaren writes...
I. First, we may take this as the advice commended to us in the example here taught us: Live in the future.
Our highest condition in this world is not the attainment of perfection, but the recognition of heights above us which are as yet unreached. From generation to generation, for the individual and the species, the condition of our progress is a distance beckoning us, and a feeling that we have not already attained, neither are already perfect.
II. Let the bright, certain, infinite future dwarf for us the narrow and stained past: "forgetting the things that are behind."
(1) Forget past failures; they are apt to weaken you.
(2) Be sure to forget past attainments; they are apt to become food for complacency, for every vain confidence.
(3) Forget your past circumstances, whether they be sorrows or joys; the one are not without remedy, the other not perfect. "Forget the things that are behind."
III. Let hopes for the future and lessons from the past alike lead to strenuous work in the present.
"This one thing I do." Be the past what it may, be the future what it may, I know that I cannot reach the one nor forget the other, except by setting myself with all my might and main to present duties, and by reducing all duties to various forms of one great life-purpose. Concentration of all our strength on a single aim, and that aim pursued through all our days, with their varying occupations—what a grand ideal of life that is! We shall work hard and heartily at various tasks, and yet the good part shall not be taken away from us by outward activity, any more than our possession of it will sequester us from vigorous service of God and man. (Living in the Future)
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What Is My Purpose? - In Daniel Schaeffer's book on Esther, Dancing With A Shadow, he summarizes with a single sentence the lives of each of the main characters in that wonderful Old Testament book. For Ahasuerus, the powerful warrior king of Persia, it was: "Success in life is all in the planning." For the faithful Mordecai: "The price of obedience is never too high." And for Queen Esther: "What I am is more important than what I have." She proved it when she risked her crown (and life) to intercede with Ahasuerus on her people's behalf.
I was discussing these one-line descriptions with some co-workers who were also reading Schaeffer's book. Someone wondered how we might summarize in a single statement our purpose for living. One woman candidly admitted, "My only goal in life is to catch up." Sound familiar? For others it might be, "To have as little trouble in life as I can." Or you may say with Haman, "You can never have too much."
But as followers of Jesus Christ, we should be able to say with the apostle Paul,
"One thing I do, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Php 3:13-14).
Is that the purpose of your life? --D C Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Do you pursue a life of wealth and fame?
A mocking epitaph is all you'll claim;
Let God replace your vain and selfish aim
With lasting goals that glorify His name. --Gustafson
We fulfill our purpose
when we serve our Creator
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In his devotional "Our Daily Walk" F B Meyer has this devotional on Philippians 3:13-14, entitled "The Christian Ideal":
AN IDEAL is a mental conception of character after which we desire to shape our lives. It is the fresco which we paint on the walls of our soul, and perpetually look at in our lonely hours; and since the heart is educated through the eye, we become more and more assimilated to that which we admire.
Our Ideal should be distinctly beyond us. We must be prepared to strain our muscles and task our strength, attempting something which those who know us best never thought us capable of achieving. Like St. Paul, we must count the ordinary ambitions of men as dung, must forget the things which are behind and press forward to those before.
We should choose as an objective some ideal which is manifestly, in our own judgment or that of others, within our scope. It is a mistake to set before our minds an ideal which is altogether out of harmony with the make-up of our nature. Therefore we should learn, to say with the Apostle: "I follow on to apprehend that for which I was apprehended by Christ Jesus." Be sure that God created and redeemed you for a definite purpose. Discover that purpose, and set yourself to make it good.
Our Ideal should give unity to life. Happy is the man who is able to prosecute his ideal through each hour of consciousness, and who can say: "This one thing I do!" Such people are the irresistible ones. Those who know one subject thoroughly, or who bend all their energies in the prosecution of one purpose, carry all before them. The quest for a holy character may be prosecuted always and everywhere. In every act and thought we may become more like Christ.
The Christ ideal is the highest ideal. "That I may gain Christ, and be found in Him." But such an ideal will only be realised at the cost of self-denial. You must put aside your own righteousness to get His; you must be willing to count all things loss; you must ignore the imperious demands of passion. So shall you be prepared for the hour when even "the body of your humiliation" shall be transformed to the likeness of the glorious body of Christ. His working is on your side; in you and for you He will subdue all things to Himself.
PRAYER - Thou, O Christ, art all I want. May Thy grace abound towards me, so that having all sufficiency in all things, I may abound unto every good work. AMEN.
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