Fore Sight

Each of us has been down a bumpy road to get where we are now. God has drawn us from where we were to Himself by His grace and by His love. His plan is to do us good, to finish His work, to complete, mature, perfect, that which concerns us. He does not look back to where we came from; we need to look forward to the Author and Finisher of our faith.

There is no reason to dwell on the mistakes, faults, or failures we went through before -- that is not where we are now.  We ran a race, we stumbled and fell, we have gotten up again, and now we are pressing onward toward the goal He has set before us. We can stand in a new self-respect with God's help. He is the God of the present, and He gives strength for today' challenges, not yesterday's regrets or tomorrow' uncertainties.

Psalms 37
v.3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
v.4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
v.5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:
v.6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
v.7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
v.8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret -- it leads only to evil.
v.9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
v.11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

Don't stay to examine the spot where you fell. It is natural to feel regret for the delay, the shortsightedness that prevented you from seeing the real goal any earlier, but you are done with any sense of shame or remorse or contempt for yourself -- that is the enemy speaking lies to distract us from the truth of both Christ's work in our lives and His total defeat of death, hell, and the grave as He breaks the power which they held over us in the past.

The love of God is strong for us, it is strong in us, and it is strong against the powers that face off against us. We walk not by sight (nor by memory!) but by faith and by hope in His love.

1 Corinthians 13
v.4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
v.5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
v.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
v.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
v.12 ...Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Father God, You are the Lord of fresh starts, of new beginnings, of new creations. Old things are gone, and all things are made new. Only Your word is eternal, and we open our hearts to Your Spirit who is able to graft the living word into our hearts and souls. You speak life and strength and power into us; You command us to rise up and walk in newness of life. We stand and walk and leap and give You praise before all who are coming to the Temple out of duty rather than joy; we declare to all that You able to save to the uttermost. We declare Your love which endures and is greater than any power in creation. There is nothing that can separate us from Your love. Thank you, Father, in Jesus' name.

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