Romans 8:38-39
Back to the Future
A pervasive hindrance to an active, productive life of faith is a
misdirected focus on the past. God is always working to help us move forward in
our faith. He is future oriented. Our past experiences obviously influence our
current and future actions; but when our gaze is too often fixed on the
rearview mirror, we aren’t going to make the progress God wants. If our minds
continually churn up destructive debris from the past, enjoying today and
tomorrow is a chore. The past becomes a heavy metal albatross that few can
bear.
A pantheon of great characters in Scripture was chosen by God despite
their checkered past. Moses spent four decades in oblivion following a heated
killing. Abraham had a regrettable liaison with his maidservant. Peter turned
his back on the Savior at a defining moment. Paul was the ringleader for
Pharisaic persecution of the emerging church. Had they allowed their prior
behavior to unduly control them, they and we would be spiritual paupers.
I’m not sure what your past holds. Others may have hurt you deeply,
abusing you physically or mentally. The memories are there every day and the
feelings of shame won’t go away. Perhaps you are the guilty party and you are
continually besieged by guilt and remorse over your actions. The past has a
suffocating grip on your emotions.
The way of escape is through forgiveness─real, genuine, biblical
forgiveness─that releases you from the irons of the past and releases those who
hurt you. God put your sins behind you through his forgiveness the instant you
trusted Christ. He holds nothing against you. You are no longer a debtor to
God. You may not forget the past, but you can break away from it by extending
God’s forgiveness to those who wronged you and forgiving yourself as God has.
If this appears too easy a solution for complex problems, it isn’t. Extending
God’s brand of forgiveness to others or yourself takes courage and
determination. But forgiveness is the only cure for the wounds of the past.
Denial, suppression, or penance don’t work. There is no other recourse.
Forgiveness is an act of grace, treating people with the favor of God,
not as they deserve. Such grace is an expression of our faith in God’s
provision for our future. We can move on with our life. We can look forward to
good things. We are not prisoners of our past. Forgiveness has cleaned the
slate and liberated us to become what God wants. Like Paul we possess the
mindset that says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is
ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Paul’s past wasn’t pretty,
but it didn’t stop him from enjoying and serving God effectively.
Put the past behind you, where it belongs; and watch Christ propel you
into future grace, anticipating the goodness of God.
Thank you, Father, for revealing to me how
you used people with a sinful past to accomplish great things─even being a part
of the earthly lineage of your Son. It comforts me and lets me realize you can
do much through me.
Learn from the past, but don’t drag its dregs into the future.
A Touch of His Goodness Dr. Charles Stanley page 113
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