Top 7 Bible Verses About Moving On

What are 7 Bible verses about moving on in life over things that happen to us?  What ones would you include?

Don’t Look Back

Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul never looked back but always pressed ahead toward his main goal and that goal was the prize that awaited him in the kingdom of heaven.  We too should not be looking back except to see how we have progressed in our walk with Christ and in the sanctification we are undergoing.  We are, or should be, growing more and more like Christ and even though we are not ever going to be sinless, we should be sinning less the longer we are a Christian.

Forget the Former Things

Isaiah 43:18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.”

I like this verse very much because Isaiah is reminding Israel and really us, about our only Savior and that is Jesus Christ Who is God Himself.  No one drives a car by continually staring back in the rearview mirror.  They are safer if they look ahead.  We should remember what we’ve been saved out of but not in a nostalgic way.  We can measure our progress in Christ by remembering our former, sinful lifestyle but it does us no good if we dwell on the former things continuously so God told Israel and He really tells us to not “consider the things of old” or “the former things” because He is “doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19a) in us through the Holy Spirit and we have much to look forward to.

Old Things Have Passed Away

Second Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

When a person has been born again, they are a new creature in Christ and the old man along with the old things have passed away, therefore we know that “all things [have] become new” so we don’t need to look back but keep moving on or forward.  The qualification here is “if any man (or woman) be in Christ” they’re a new creation or new creature that has new life, new interests, new desires and the old sinful passions of life are gone.  It’s all new and the old has no appeal for us anymore.

The Righteous Move Forward

Job 17:9 “The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.”

This verse is from the NLT and I like it because it focuses on moving forward but it is only the righteous that have “clean hands” that “become stronger and stronger.”  It is only by Jesus’ blood that we can be declared righteous in His sight (2 Cor 5:21).  If you are in Christ then you should also be moving forward and away from your past and looking ahead to do good works that have been prepared for us ahead of time to do (Eph 2:10).

Looking Ahead

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus endured the cross because He looked forward to being seated again at the right hand of the Father and so too must we look ahead to run this race with endurance…the race that is set before us compels us to look ahead and keep moving on. No one running in a race looks back but keeps looking ahead and by looking ahead, we are able to run it with endurance however we can only run with endurance if we lay aside very weight that encumbers us in this race like the sin which so easily hinders us and if we are looking forward or ahead to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, we can more easily keep looking ahead and keep moving on.

Keep Pressing On

Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

Paul kept pressing on, even though he had not yet obtained his goal or been made perfect.  He kept pressing on because Christ has made him His very own, just as He has us who have repented and trusted in Him. We keep moving on despite not having already arrived but we keep moving on because we are already Jesus Christ’s.  Isn’t that enough motivation for us to keep pressing on?

The Lighted Path

Psalm 119:110 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Anyone who walks in this present evil world will encounter times of darkness but God’s Word will light our path and allow us to keep moving on and not stumble.  The Bible is God’s Word and it’s like a light that illuminates the path so we know where we’re going.  The fact is “the unfolding of [God’s] words gives light” (Psalm 119:130a) and “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5).  John the Baptist “came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him” (John 1:7) that Jesus Christ was “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9).   Anyone who has Christ has a light and the Word of God gives light to the path that we all walk on in life so that we can keep moving on safely, surely, and securely.

Conclusion

Whoever has not been born of God cannot ever see the kingdom (John 3:3) and cannot even enter the kingdom (John 3:5) so today, if you have never been born again, repent or turn away from your sins, place your trust in the Savior, and you will have God’s wrath removed from you.  If not, it still rests upon you as you read this (John 3:36b) and you must face the wrath of God after you die (Heb 9:27) on the Day of Judgment (Rev 20:12-15) therefore I strongly urge you to make today the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2).

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon