Are
we to completely forget the past?
The
apostle Paul reminds us to forget the past and to press on towards a higher
goal:
“Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Indeed
if we look back at our past failures, we will be dejected. If we dwell on our
past successes, we might become proud. Nevertheless there are good reasons
why we should spend time reflecting on the past.
But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
(Psalm 77:11-12)
But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
(Psalm 77:11-12)
Recalling
God’s mercies in our
life keeps us humble. If not for His grace, where will we stand? “LORD,
if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But
you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you” (Psalm 130: 3-4).
Next, we recall the goodness of
God, how He has blessed us in so many ways: health, provision of our material
needs, family and the community of believers. We need to do this often – whether
as an individual, as a family or as a church – as
we tend to be forgetful. Counting
our blessings, naming them one by one, is a powerful way of telling God that we
are grateful that He is so loving and generous.
After
the Israelites crossed the river Jordan, Joshua instructed them to take twelve stones
from the river and set them up on land as a memorial (Joshua 4:1-7). This was
not only to commemorate the crossing but to remind the people of the miraculous
power of God.
Even today we should
set up our own memorial stones to help us sail through the storms of life. When
adversity strikes, we can dig in and cling on to God’s faithfulness. These
stones remind us that, as He has been faithful to us in the past, He will
continue to be so – now and in future.
We need
to maintain a balance between looking back and looking ahead.
RELATED POST
LOOKING AHEAD
When we consider that
our car rear view mirror is much smaller than the windshield, we are reminded
of the fact that the future is more important than the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment