Tag Archives: Past

Move Forward

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One of the most well-known stories in the Bible, and honestly, one of the most important stories in the Bible is when Saul gets saved, and the Lord later changes his name to Paul.

It’s a story of how the Lord intervenes and has plans bigger than Saul (Paul) and bigger than any of us. God has a calling for him, and He has a calling for me and you. I was reading that story this morning, and something jumped out at me.

Listen to what it says in Acts 9: 3-6:

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

arrow-forwardWhat stood out to me was the last thing that Jesus said. Saul asks who it was that was shining down on him, and Jesus responds by asking why he was persecuting Him.

But what jumped out to me was what happened next. Jesus tells Saul it’s Him, and then says “But rise and enter the city.”

Yes, Saul has been persecuting Him. Yes, Saul had done some bad stuff. Yes, there was a lot of water under the bridge. But rise and enter the city.

Look ahead. Look forward. Look to the future. Don’t worry about the past. Don’t worry about what’s happened. Don’t worry about all that has happened in the past.

Look at ahead. God has a plan that is greater than anything in your past. Don’t focus on what has happened (good or bad). Focus on what is to come. Focus on the future.

Rise and enter the city. Move forward. Keep going. God is more worried and more focused on your future than He is on your past.

God has great things in store. May we be faithful with what He is calling us to!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

The Glory of God

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One of the things that Paul talks about a good bit in his writings is that whatever is behind us is not as great as what is to come.  All the stuff of the past, it doesn’t hold a candle to the stuff that is to come.  And we often think of that as negative.  The past is done. The future is great.  God will take away the past mistakes, the past failings, the past stuff, and give us amazing, full, life.

That’s how I think about it, a lot. But listen to something that Paul writes today in 2 Corinthians 3:9-10:

For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.

glory-sunshine-from-the-edge_1152x864_71915He’s talking about the old law, how the people used to have live, what they ate, how they washed, all the stuff that they had to do under the old covenant. And Paul says what had glory before, now has no glory. Because of this glory that surpasses it all.

What is this glory that surpasses it all?

Grace.  The love of God that sweeps us off our feet, the love of God that restores us.  The love of God that forgives us.  The love of God that makes us new.

Yeah, the past as good as it may have been, it really doesn’t compare to the future.  Even the best of the best, the things that were the greatest, the things with the most glory and most purpose, they are not what really matters or counts.

What does?  The glory of God that comes through grace.  The glory of God that comes through relationship.  The glory of God that comes through His life.  The glory of God.

Today, no matter how great the past was, the glory of God is better.  No matter how dark the past was, the glory of God redeems.  No matter how unworthy you may feel, the glory of God restores.  Today, may matter how drift less you may feel, the glory of God gives purpose.

This glory, it is the anchor for our life.  You were made for it.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

 

Keep Going

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We’ve all done some dumb things. I have. You have. We’ve all done dumb things. It’s part of the human experience. Welcome to the club.

But Paul tells us this great word today in Philippians. Forget what lies behind. Don’t worry about it.  Listen to what Philippians 3:12-14 says:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 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.

Why? How? How can we forget about what is behind? How can we forget about the mistakes of the past? How can we keep going?

A coupe of reasons. First, there’s nothing we can do about it. Nothing. It’s done. You can’t go back and undo it. Worrying about and lingering it won’t undo it.

Second, and more important, it doesn’t even matter. Through Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. That’s right, you are forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, our sins are forgiven.

That thing that you can’t forgive yourself of? That thing in your past you can’t let go of? That thing in your past that you keep beating yourself up over?

Guess what?

You’re forgiven. Today. Right now. You’re forgiven.

You can let let. Keep moving. Keep going forward.

What God has for you in the future is better than any mistake of the past. Keep pressing on towards it. You can do it. You are forgiven. You are free. Keep going.

Forgetting what is behind, we press on to what lies ahead. Today, let’s do that.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.