Presently Past or Past The Past?

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

 What is the purpose of the past?  The past is the time from whence we survived until the present.  Can we vacation there? We might try, but with little to no success.  Can we live there?  Believe it or not, there are lots of people who try to live in the past.  You will hear them tell tales of their past accomplishments over and over.  They will point to particular memorabilia which represent only moments in time.  

Then there are those who beat themselves with the past.  Some will lose themselves in their pasts.  Some will be so focused on their past that they cannot seem to move forward with any joy at all.  It's as if they have become extra in the "Walking Dead" just wandering through the present as if lost in a fog.

Look at today's verses.  The word Paul uses for "Forgetting" quite literally means "no longer caring for, neglecting, refusing to focus on."  What a precious gift God has given us of being able to ONLY live in the present!  It is very easy to focus on where we have BEEN (good or bad) because those moments have helped shape us, but we cannot focus our lives there.

Paul is not telling us to wipe the past from our minds as if it never existed.  He is telling us to focus on the present and press on toward the future having LEARNED FROM the past.  Let's face it, there are some parts of our past that we cannot forget and any attempt to remove them from our memory will only make then stand out even more.  We must learn to accept our past (which can not be changed) and live in the present in order to change our future.

Clinging to the past is like standing waist deep in wet concrete. People try to help you move  forward and climb out of the concrete because, if you don't, you will be stuck. Nothing bogs down present performance like carrying the loads of the past.  When we realize that we are not prisoners of our past!  In 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, "When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!"

Let "Glory Days" be fond memories and a pretty awesome Bruce Springsteen song, but not your prison! 

  

What Do You Mean I'm A 'Captive'?

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. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

~Jeremiah 29:11-14 

 

We like to quote verse 11 of today's passage where God tells us that He has incredible plans for us that will be good for us and bring us hope.  But we don't usually bother to read beyond that because, after all, we cling to the promise and are content to wait for God to rain down His blessings on us.  But read the rest of the passage!

 

God does have plans for us that will be good for us and will bring hope for us, but He also ways WHEN YOU PRAY, I will listen.  When was the last time you and God had a heart to heart chat?  Did you do all the talking?  THEN God says, "IF you look for me WHOLEHEARTEDLY, you will find me."  Before you ask, NO God is not hiding from us.  Let me put it this way, if I am wearing my sunglasses I cannot read my radio display even though I am looking directly at it and it is less than a foot away.  Why, because my sunglasses filter out the color of my display.  The same applies to us when we "look" for God and can't find him...we casually look expecting to see the bright light and mighty powerful warrior ready to smite those who have hurt our feelings.  But we don't see that God has sent someone to help us who is rather ordinary, because we are not looking for ordinary, we are looking for nuclear fireworks!

 

God promises that if we seek Him will all our attention and desire, we will find Him AND He will end our captivity.  WHAT? Captivity here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?  Yup! We are captive to our STUFF!  We are captive to our CAREERS!  We are captive to our BANK ACCOUNTS!  We are captive to our SPORTS!  We are captives because we find so many things (which will eventually end) to hold our attention rather than God!  How many people do you know who can quote the latest stock trends but can't remember a single verse of Scripture?  How many people do you know who will faithfully attend every single football game and have had season tickets for generations, but "don't have time" to talk with God about their marriage falling apart or their children who have gone wild for lack of parenting?  WE ARE CAPTIVES!!  We are held captive by our own desires!!!

 

A gilded cage is still a prison!