Your Destination is New Day Street!

Along with millions of other people, we watched the historic pairing of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater for the 50th anniversary tribute to the Beatles. We both watched the original visit to the Ed Sullivan show back in 1964 as did most of the kids our age. For us, the baby boomers, it was awesome. Reliving being an enamored young girl for me and for my hubby a teenager who ultimately had every record they ever made together. Many pleasant memories came flooding back as the songs reminded us of lost love, true friends and the meaning of life (for them at least).

We did not go to bed singing Beatles songs or pulling out memorabilia. We left the fun of the evening where it belongs – in the memory bank of life. We can’t go back to those times, nor do we want to. It was fun, but it’s done. We’ve got life to live and more memories to make so we look forward to what God is doing in our lives as we live a life that’s pleasing to Him. 

We all enjoy reliving past memories. But we cannot live in the past. Memory Lane can be visited but we must not live there. The past is where it belongs. The best of moments are part of history. As great as they are, as much as we enjoy the fun of it all, it’s just a memory. We can’t live in the past, for it’s already been lived. We have a future to walk into that holds as much promise as our greatest times of yesteryear. If we spend all our time reliving the past and trying to regain the moments of our youth we’ll miss living today. We’ll also miss looking to the future where we are to keep our eyes on the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus. 

Maybe you believe that someone has robbed you of your future. They cannot do this, for only God sets the future in motion, only God gives the calling to His children and only God says when the end will come. Maybe your life looked better back then than it does right now. Hold on, for God is making all things work together for your good as you keep your eyes on Him. 

Oh beloved! It’s important this morning for you to know that you have a future. It does not matter what your age is or what your past looks like, your future is bright with promise. God has put it in the hearts of all believers to look forward, not back. Today is the day to look ahead and ask God what today’s plans are for you. Every single day has its own special plans just for you. You are awake, you are breathing, you are able to get up and take nourishment, so God’s plan is with you. Maybe all your past memories are pleasant, maybe they aren’t. Either way, to live with your memories is to rob yourself of the blessing of looking ahead to Jesus. You can’t undo the mistakes; you can’t really live the greatest moments again. It’s time to do yourself the greatest favor you’ve ever done. 

Leave the mistakes at the altar with the Lord. He’s explained it in His Word, that He’s placed your sins as far as the east is from the west. You’ll have to leave your greatest accomplishments there as well. Leave them at the altar of praise and thank God for each and every one of them. But reach out to Him this very day for your next assignment and your richest blessings. 

You are more than your memories and your address is New Day Street! God loves you so much that He’s making a way for you to continue to walk in blessings, live triumphant and make great memories for your future. He’s for you so that you don’t have to fear what’s ahead, you only take a step at a time to walk in His ways and live for Him always.

You and I are very blessed, beloved, for He’s given us His great and precious promises so that we can live in the light of His Word! Go ahead, go out today and make some wonderful memories for the Kingdom and the Glory of God.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you.

Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Time to Move out of The Museum!

 

 

We’ve lived at our present address for 20 years. During that time we’ve managed to fill up the shop and load up the garage. Even the downstairs storage area is full. Danny decided Saturday it was time to clean out the shop and it was a chore! He called me out there once and asked me to look in a box he found. As I peered into the contents I found it was a box of my dad’s mementoes. There were a couple of AA coins, a 1949 quarter, a 1960 penny, several Father’s Day ornaments and a copy of our wedding announcement from the paper in 1973.  What a step back in time. Next Danny showed me a bag of clothes. Inside that bag were little dresses my mother had made our oldest daughter over 35 years ago. As I held one of them up, more memories flooded my heart. I could see our daughter in that dress!

I found that I no longer wanted to clean out the shop! Lots of the “junk” in there had special memories from some part of our lives.  From old dolls to old papers, it was amazing.

You can’t keep everything. If you do, you’ll end up with a mess on your hands. Although lots of these things were treasures, they are old, broken, tattered and useless. Do I want to hold onto them? Yes. Do I need to? No. While the special things reminded us of precious memories, we cannot live in our memories. If we were to be gone, most of the stuff would be quickly discarded because no one else has our memories. We agreed to keep the most important things and were very selective, but the rest just has to go.  We’ll have no room for new things, space to work or even a garage for the car if we don’t clean out.

Precious memories are wonderful and mementoes of happy times can be great to look at. But we cannot live in the past.  We need to move on and make new memories. We want room for our lives to be productive and precious, but we can’t if we keep looking at the past and living there. While we cherish many things about our history, if we only live in the past it’s like living in a museum. Great to look at but untouchable.

Are you wishing for the former days? Do you wish you could go back and live in happier times? Are you content to live in the past? Are you longing for the mementoes of your older days to be your present times? God loves your wonderful memories but He’s ready to move you on to a new day. He’s ready for you to clean out your heart and mind for new experiences and to help you be able to live in the present.

Oh beloved, God has wonderful plans for your life! Even now, when you may be hurting over lost treasures or not wanting to let go. He doesn’t ask you to forget your past, but He’s asking you to move on. To move on with Him is to find more treasures, the kind that moths and dust don’t ruin.  If you will trust God, He will take you by the hand and go with you into new things. For He always has fresh anointing for the new things He wants to do in your life! Keep the old memories, for they are silver to your life. But let God take you on to blessings and ministry, so that your life will remain useful and pliant and so that others will benefit from your walk with the Lord.

God loves you so much that He woos you out of the past and into the future. And He cares about you so much that He’s not willing for you to remain in the cobwebs and junk of past days. What a blessing it is to know He wants to take you out of the museum and into the new life He wants to build just for you!

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Isaiah 43:19  For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Mathew 6:19-20 Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

Precious Memories! Beautiful Future! Let Him Lead You...

We’re at Bikes Blues and BBQ this week. We enjoy visiting with everyone who comes by the booths. We have one behind Shotz on Dickson Street and one at the entrance to the vendors at the Tyson Track Center. As we drove up yesterday Danny and I reminisced about how many years we’ve been coming up for this event. We laughed as we remembered the year the clutch went out on that old bike just as we were climbing a big hill. We talked about the folks we’ve met along the way. It’s good to reminisce about good times in our lives, whether it’s ministry or family or friends.


But it’s a new day. If we only think about yesterday, we aren’t able to move on. Just like we update our bikes, we pray for new vision and a fresh anointing for today. Maybe you’ve been doing things the old way and expect new results. It just doesn’t happen. Reminiscing is not the same as living in the past. Moving on is just part of life. But if we move on expecting God to be in the lead, we’ll have new memories and blessed times in His presence.

Oh beloved, your memories are certainly precious. Keep them. Memories of loved ones gone can warm our hearts. Share those memories with family as those stories can be carried down through the generations. Are you hanging on to the past as though it’s all you have? Whether past struggles or past joys, they’ll keep us focused so on our past that we can’t move on. Run to the Lord this morning and ask Him for fresh anointing and vision. Ask Him to take you further than you’ve been with Him first. Then, as you and He walk together, He will give you new insight and wonderful plans to carry you into the future. He says to you that your future is secure in Him and that He wants to give you greater blessings than you’ve ever known! Hallelujah! What a Savior – the One Who saves us by His grace, anoints us for this present time and fits us for Heaven! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that matters.

Psalm 23:5 …You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Ecclesiastes 11:7 Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.

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.