“For I am convinced
that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor
the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
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 page113
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