Look to the Future, Not to the Past

This morning as I wake up I remember as a child we had to keep the faucets dripping, put a light in the pump house, and various other things to keep the water pipes from bursting and the pump from freezing. Back then it was hard work to do simple things. Some of you may have to still do these things but for most of us we don’t anymore. There are other things that used to be laborious that we now have much easier. I’m glad for the most part that things are easier. Outhouses and rub boards are pretty much a thing of the past. Cisterns and well buckets have given way most everywhere to a simple twist of the faucet. 

I am thinking too of my own children being young. We had all the grands with us recently and for a moment I could get melancholy that the children I raised are all grown. We had a great time with them and still enjoy reminiscing about their childhoods.

If I just reminisced about the past, pretty soon I’d be wishing I could go back. Unknown days are ahead. We’ve not lived them. We don’t know where we’re going with God but we are going into the future. He has a plan and He’s leading us. We are excited to know that God’s Word tells us that even in our old age God has something for us, so even though we might become quite aged there is still much to do for the Kingdom of God when we follow Him with our whole heart.

The Egyptians left behind slavery. They were taken out of the land of Pharaoh with a strong and mighty arm of the Lord. Many signs and wonders were evident in their lives. They were heading out to points unknown but as long as God was leading it would be good. The wilderness looked fine to them compared to the slavery they had endured. Until they lived there.

God speaks to my heart: Each and every day is a new day with Me. I know there are times when you’d like to go back – maybe to do something over and better, maybe just to enjoy those wonderful memories. But I am not leading you to the past. I am not leading you to relive the good times and I am not leading you to relive the bad times. I am leading you into the future. It may look like a wilderness to you. But you can rest assured that every step I take before you is a step you can take with confidence. Living in the past has no merit whatsoever. Today is the day to live your triumphant life in Me. My name is I AM – I AM here, I AM leading, I AM preparing you for the future, I AM leading you through and teaching you much about My character and nature, even when you don’t know where you are going. 

Oh beloved! Trust the Lord. Let Him lead you out of the past. Let Him use you fresh and new today. Let Him give you a hope for the future. Let Him turn what looks like a wilderness into sacred ground. He will provide everything you need in abundance, along with grace and peace and joy. He loves you and He’s for you and His plans are outrageously good for your heart, your mind and your soul as you live in the light of His Word and follow Him all the days of your life. 

Psalm 78:19 They spoke against God; they said, "Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?”

Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

Isaiah 48:17 This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow

Jeremiah 31:17 “There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord…

Psalm 71:18 Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

With a View to the Future

I was driving grandson Blake home this week and the sky was a brilliant blue. Not a cloud to be seen. I guess because the sky was so clear and blue, we were able to spot other things in the sky. Blake saw them first – a huge flock of geese flying in formation, headed south. Then we saw a smaller flock doing the same thing.

Just as I looked away from the birds I saw a glimmer. As we got to a stop, I looked through the trees and spotted it! It was a jet.  I told Blake to look but he couldn’t see it. I kept saying turn your head to the right and other directions but he could not see the jet.  Finally I pulled into a parking lot and said again, “LOOK!”  He turned His head, climbed up into my window and put his face right where mine was. He saw it!  Racing through the sky it looked like a silver bullet in the sun trailing a streak of clouds behind it.

Until he got my viewpoint he couldn’t see what I was seeing.  He might have just said never mind. He might have just gone on. He might have missed the magnificent view entirely. But he kept looking until he could see it from my perspective. 

God speaks to my heart: “With a view to the future”.  Such simple words. But He’s speaking to my heart and maybe you need to know it too beloved.  Often we are caught in a scene that’s right out of a horror show. It could be that we’ve held something so dear that we don’t want to let go. We see no point, we  feel no reason, we hear no promises. We’ve been rejected and that’s all we see.  We’ve been left out in the cold and that’s all we feel. We’ve been passed over, turned down, unanswered.  Unless we can get God’s perspective on our present situation we are going to feel frustrated or fearful or maybe even quit. 

It’s up to us.  The view is there. God’s openly showing it to us. He’s trying to get us to quit looking at things from the earthly view.  He’s urging us lovingly to keep looking, keep straining toward God’s face, keep seeking His heart.  He may even ask us to pull over and sit a moment alone with Him until we can find God’s peace.  At some point we have to let God in on our pain and let Him assure us. Who else can soothe us really? And how blessed are we that we have a God who didn’t just create us and leave us to try to figure out the scenes of our lives alone. No, He’s fully acquainted with us – fully prepared to walk us through every single day with us – fully prepared to give us His perspective, even though He’s the Lord of Heaven and Earth. After all, He is our Abba Father as well. Christ has gifted us with the opportunity to have a rich and intimate relationship with God Himself. If we can just let ourselves and our pains go and get into Father God’s lap and see things “with a view to the future” we’ll be able to live seeing God’s face when nothing else makes sense. We’ll know there’s a future for us because He has said so.

Oh beloved, climb up in Abba Father’s lap. Let Him wrap His loving arms around you. Let Him speak truth into your life. When you get his perspective, when you can view things as though you are going into the future, looking beyond yourself, you will know that God’s ways are best. Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God and nothing can keep you from seeing into the blue skies of His perfect will. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth slowing down, opening His Word, resting in His promises and moving into the future with fresh determination to live in the light of His Word.

 

Psalm 77:11-13 But then I recall all You have done, O Lord; I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago.  They are constantly in my thoughts.  I cannot stop thinking about Your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy.     Is there any god as mighty as You?

Psalm 73:23-24 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.   You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Run to the Spirit of Christmas - Christ Himself!

Our whole family loves A Christmas Carol. There are many versions, from the original movie of 1938 to the most recent Disney remake of 2009.  The story revolves around Ebenezer Scrooge who has spent his life being a grumpy self-centered agnostic. Because of the original Dickens’ story and subsequent movies, people with his personality are referred to as “Scrooges”, especially during the Christmas holidays.

There are three ghosts or spirits in this movie as well. They are sent to try to get Mr. Scrooge back on track and to help him see the error of his ways and thus to give him redemption. Through the visitation of these three spirits – Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future – Mr. Scrooge is sent on a trip of self-discovery and self-loathing, but eventually he finds himself changed and the change becomes well…dramatic to say the least.

We too have to deal with these spirits or issues - Our past, our present and our future.

Christmas past may hold the pain of unrealized dreams and hopes. Nobody’s perfect, especially parents, so there may be hurts that make us unable to enjoy today. If we hold onto those hurts we will find ourselves mourning what we could have had rather than enjoying what we do have. Are you hurt beyond imagination and still reeling from things you could not control? Or maybe you did the wrong thing and you’re still making yourself pay.

Christmas present holds much promise. This year will be perfect! But it’s hard when others don’t share the joy of the season. Or you are facing tragedy, resentment, unforgiveness. Like ornaments that are so heavy they bend the limbs of the Christmas tree beneath the load, these weights tend to bend us over and make us want to forget Christmas altogether. Who needs the pain?

Christmas future holds the highest hopes. We plan for the future and ignore the present because somewhere in the future things will be better, right? So we hold so tightly to our imaginary day somewhere in time ahead that we can’t enjoy the present. We feel destined to repeat the same offenses, but all the while hoping, just hoping that things will be better next year. What is in your perfect Christmas? Love, joy, peace? You’ll never find them on your own.

Oh beloved, run to the Spirit of Christmas – the Lord Himself!  He will take your mistakes and sorrows and rejections and replace them. Just as ornaments on the tree get broken and ruined, God takes each one and gives us a fresh new start! Just as our trees get old and lose their needs, God gives us a fresh today! No need to live with the past, it’s dead and gone. And, His future for us is brighter than the Morning Star! Let the Lord love you today and watch as He says, “Crawl up in my lap and let me tell you about your wonderful life! Speak your Christmas “wish list” into My ear! Give your past mistakes, present worries and future hopes to Me and let Me remake the entire movie into our love story! For I have loved you always. I AM with you in your past, I AM with you in your present and I AM with you in your future. If you let me, I AM able to make this a Christmas without regrets. Don’t turn your eyes on the tinsel or the glitter or the packages or the people, even those you love oh so much! Just turn your eyes on Me, the Author and Finisher of your Faith. I love you and I AM on your side. This is my gift to you this Christmas. Rejoice in My Love for I AM your Redeemer!

1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

2 Samuel 23:5 “Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured; For all my salvation and all my desire, Will He not indeed make it grow?

 Job 42:2 “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

Romans 8:29 We are assured and know that God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (Amplified)

You Are God's Beautiful Treasure!

When we were young, it was fun to pick up coke bottles along the road for extra money.  They were all glass back then and you could redeem them for cash. It didn’t take long to have enough change to buy candy or some treasure at the store. Someone else’s throw away was worth something if you took the time to find it and take it home. Years later we find people collecting the old bottles that others had thrown away. The bottles themselves are now the treasures that people display on shelves in their homes.

The Lord says to you this morning, I know you have been discarded. You feel as empty as an old bottle lying in the ditch. But you are a treasure! And I have come to redeem you! I will not trade you in for gold or silver, for you are worth far more than anything man values. But I will take you and display you as a beautiful treasure for all to see in my Kingdom.  Who is the one who has pronounced you worthless? They do not know My Word. Who is the one who left you chipped and useless on the road of life? They do not count your worth as I do!

Oh beloved, you are a treasure, you are a beautiful picture of God’s redeeming love! Run to the One Who has bought you with a price and let Him bandage your wounds and set you on the mountain top. He loves you, He’s for you and His future for you is full of wonder as you live for Him. Lay aside the hurts and the disappointments and worship the One Who is worthy of all your praise!

 Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

I Corinthians 7:23a  You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for by Christ];

Isaiah 63:9  In all their suffering He also suffered, and He personally rescued them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.

I Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

Do You Need a Fresh Start? You can have One!

It’s the first day of school and many households are re-learning getting up and getting going. Summer break is over and children are putting on new clothes, new shoes and donning backpacks. Some are riding the bus and others are being carried in the family car.  Old friends will be hugged and new friends will be made. Some students will cry, some mothers will cry.  The cafeterias will be baking and the playground equipment will be full. It’s a fresh start kind of morning.

Oh beloved, do you need a fresh start? Is it time for a change? In your attitude, in your demeanor, in your outlook? Today, like school children all across America, you can have that change. You can put on a new look and walk a different walk. I know things have been bad for a long time. Maybe someone’s tried to help point the way for you but you’ve rejected all help. You may be angry, tired, frustrated, hopeless, dejected, miserable.  There is One Who will pick you up and take you where you’ve never been. It’s never too late to let God teach you in His School. Run to Him this morning and open His Study Guide. It’s more than a book – it’s God Breathed! God’s Word is True and it’s written just for you. Because He loves you He can take all your misery, all your mistakes, all your futility and restore your faith, your joy and your hope. Try Him today! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that matters.

 Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

Jeremiah 17:14  O LORD, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!

Psalm 6:2  Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.

Lamentations 3:22-23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.