Sep 6, 2018
One thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. Phil 3:13
Don't look back at
sin, guilt, regret, or pain--- walk forward toward forgiveness, holiness & freedom.
How much time do you spend thinking about the past?
A friend shared with me his discovery that over half of his
day is spent looking at the past. He
gave examples: reviewing a conversation or argument for hours, talking about
past memories with friends, regretting decisions or rehearsing victories,
watching reruns, and more. His point
was, the more time we spend looking at our past, the less we can change our
future.
Jesus constantly called people out of their past. He shared the message of forgiveness, not to
let people off the hook, but to get them to focus on a different future. Regrets can be good reminders of what NOT to
do, but they don’t help us focus on what TO do.
Sin and guilt enslave us to reviewing the past over & over, but
forgiveness lets us learn from the past to do something different. If the goal of life is holiness, then our
focus should be on Truth & Righteous actions instead of failures and
regrets.
Some might argue that if we don’t discuss and remember our past, we
will be doomed to repeat it.
However, rehearsing our past can keep us focused on it. The past is our best form of education – on both
what to do and not do, but it’s not to be our focus. Many people are committed to “never being
like someone” or “never doing that”, however, that means they are focused on
the negative thing they are trying to avoid.
Instead, Jesus wants us to focus on the positive direction we are trying
to travel.
What would a day in our lives look like if we reduced the amount
of time we spend on the past? Arguments
would be about what to do in the future, meetings would be about where we are
going, commuter traffic or last year’s accomplishments would not be long
conversations, and life would have more freedom. People would still learn from their past, but
not let it define their day.
Jesus died on the cross so we could be released from our
past, so don’t let it define your life any longer. Move forward toward a new life of
forgiveness, holiness & freedom.
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