DWELL NOT IN THE PAST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JULY 28, 2020.

SUBJECT: DWELL NOT IN THE PAST! 

Memory verse: "But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

 (Luke 9 vs 62

.)

READ: Philippians 3 vs 13 - 14:

3:12: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

3:13: 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 are ahead,
3:14: I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

3:15: Therefore, let us, as many are mature, have this mind, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

INTIMATION:

The past belongs to history, do not dwell in it. Looking back at the past only serves to limit your vision for the future. Even though the past is not entirely gone, your atonement and redemption from yesterday's mistakes and failures can be the bricks and mortar of today. You need to dream of things that never were and press toward the goal God has ordained for your life. The only reason you should look back is to remember the good God has done for you.

A wise person will not complain about the past. Though we may learn from the past, focusing on misfortunes of the past may lead us to make wrong decisions in the present. Your problems cannot be solved by reliving the failures of the past. King Solomon wisely said in Ecclesiastics 7 vs 10, "Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' For you do not inquire wisely concerning this." Instead of living in the past, decide to live for today, and let it determine the future. 

Reliving the past is a time wasted which would have been well spent on pressing on to the future. Are you looking back at a past relationship, a lost promotion, a bitter experience? Is your mind so fixed on a person or a situation that it keeps you from going forward with your life? It's noteworthy that what was once hard to bear is often sweet to remember. However, with the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. The past belongs to history, and should not hold you back, but the knowledge gained is helpful to face the present and plan the future.

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul had reason to forget the past—he had held the coats of those who had stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7 vs 57 - 58, Paul is called Saul here). We have all done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go the past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Sometimes trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far from perfect that we think we can never please God with our life. Quit looking back at "what might have been" and refusing to enter into God's gracious provision of "what can be." 

Don’t dwell on your past. Instead grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. Look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ. You must leave Egypt before you can reach your promised land. Remember, God took the children of Israel 'out' so He can bring them 'in.' You must leave the past behind before you can arrive into your provision.

Dissatisfaction comes when our attention shifts from what we have to what we don’t have. You may remember what you had in the past but don’t have now and begin agonize over your present position. Like the children of Israel in Exodus 16 - 17, they could think of nothing but the delicious Egyptian food they had left behind. Somehow they forgot that the brutal whip of Egyptian slavery was the cost eating that food. They didn’t seem to notice what God was doing for them—setting them free, making them a nation, giving them a new land—because they were so wrapped up in what God wasn’t doing for them. 

We must not allow things of this world to detract us from our goal of eternal dwelling. It’s helpful to think about what occupies our attention most of the time. Are we grateful for what God has given us, or are we always thinking about what we would like to have or what we had in the past and are missing now? We should not allow our unfulfilled desires to cause us to forget God’s gifts of life, health, work, and good friends. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for all You have done, still doing, and will do for me. You are perfect in all Your ways, and knows better than I know myself. What You cannot give me, may I never have it, what You cannot do for me, may it remain undone, the life You cannot give to me, may I never live it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!