Don't Let Your Past Keep You From Seeing Your Future - Sermon Sunday
Associate Minister Phillip Allen, Gilt Edge Baptist Church, Louisville, KY
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Showing posts with label past. Show all posts
Showing posts with label past. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Inspirational Video Moment: Near to God
Mondays are Inspirational Video Moment days at
New Life Today Blog.
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Thursday, March 1, 2012
I Want A Do Over, or Do I? by Bob Valleau
Is your life like a roller coaster -- a never ending ride of
ups and downs with a few sharp turns now and then? When you left home to embark
on living your own life, were you prepared for such a tumultuous experience?
Yet, if you could go back in time and had the ability to change your destiny,
would you?
How many of us wish we had a life "do over"? Oh, some of you would say you are happy at this point in your life, and, as believers, you may quote how we are commanded to be content in whatsoever state we find ourselves.
Still, haven't you ever wondered where you would be if you had the ability to choose your own destiny? I have, and, I must admit, it's scary. I have often wondered, "What if?" And then there are the "could've, should've, would've" possibilities that run through my mind. I know. I live dangerously because entertaining such thoughts border on the edge of plain fiction or total lunacy.
Well, call me crazy for being human and nonsensical. But my wandering mind has never steered me wrong. It has always led me back to the most sensible and logical conclusion: my destiny is not a destination but a person, Jesus Christ. My rambling thoughts have helped me to see how God does not live in our "what ifs." Nor does He live in our "could'ves, would'ves, should'ves." He lives in our here and now, always drawing us closer so we can experience a more intimate relationship with Him.
You see, I'm glad God never gave us the power to chart our own course. I'm glad He wraps our life's journey in a mystery which forces us to place our trust in Him. I'm glad He knows the end from the beginning and only reveals what He has to at just the right moment.
So no, I don't want a life "do over." The only power God has given me is what I do with each day and whom I will serve. In reality, isn't that what our destiny is all about anyway?
How many of us wish we had a life "do over"? Oh, some of you would say you are happy at this point in your life, and, as believers, you may quote how we are commanded to be content in whatsoever state we find ourselves.
Still, haven't you ever wondered where you would be if you had the ability to choose your own destiny? I have, and, I must admit, it's scary. I have often wondered, "What if?" And then there are the "could've, should've, would've" possibilities that run through my mind. I know. I live dangerously because entertaining such thoughts border on the edge of plain fiction or total lunacy.
Well, call me crazy for being human and nonsensical. But my wandering mind has never steered me wrong. It has always led me back to the most sensible and logical conclusion: my destiny is not a destination but a person, Jesus Christ. My rambling thoughts have helped me to see how God does not live in our "what ifs." Nor does He live in our "could'ves, would'ves, should'ves." He lives in our here and now, always drawing us closer so we can experience a more intimate relationship with Him.
You see, I'm glad God never gave us the power to chart our own course. I'm glad He wraps our life's journey in a mystery which forces us to place our trust in Him. I'm glad He knows the end from the beginning and only reveals what He has to at just the right moment.
So no, I don't want a life "do over." The only power God has given me is what I do with each day and whom I will serve. In reality, isn't that what our destiny is all about anyway?
Copyright 2012 by Bob Valleau. Bob has over 25 years of writing experience for the Christian market. He was once named Christian Writer of the Year by the American Christian Writers Association. Currently, he freelances and lives in Texas.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Never Look Back
How fast can you run when you are looking back over your shoulder - looking at where you came from rather than where you are going? No matter how great an athlete you may be, we all run faster looking straight ahead at where we are going.
The point is that it is much better to look ahead to our future rather than dwell in the past. Just as Lot's wife learned when she and her family were getting away from Sodom before it was destroyed by God, you should never look back. Although I doubt that any of us will turn into a pillar of salt like Lot's wife did, I know from experience that goals cannot be reached if the focus is on past failures, disappointments and mistakes. We can never change our past, but we can change our future. At the most we should take the life lessons that we have learned from our past to make a better future for our lives.
Do you feel like your past mistakes and shortcomings are holding you back from moving forward in your life? If some, below are a few verses that may help you start moving forward without looking back:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14 ESV
New Life Today
So what can you today to have a new life? Remember that no matter what mistakes or troubles you have in your past, you can have a brighter future. Rather than looking back, take five minutes to visualize where you are heading in your future. Once you have the picture in your mind, write down what it is going to take to accomplish your vision. Will you need to go back to school? Do you need help fighting an addiction? Do you need to make amends with a family member? Whatever it is that you need to do to accomplish your goals, don't get hung up by all the mistakes and missteps you have made in the past. And as Philippians 4:13 proclaims, remember "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
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