Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Worry”
Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Let go of the past so you can move forward into the future.”
After retiring from the Navy I worked for a few years as a Family Counselor as I prepared to become a Pastor. I’ve been a Pastor now for almost twenty years and altogether, I have counseled many people about a wide variety of issues. I found that by far the two most common problems people wrestle with are regret about the past and worry about the future.
Many people have deep regrets for past actions that they’re unable to let go of. Often they wallow in the regret to the point that it holds them captive. Many others have fear and anxiety about the future. The future is a great unknown and that scares people. Sure, we can make plans and set goals but still, the outcome is always uncertain.
The Apostle Paul had an answer for these two common dilemmas. In Philippians 3:13-14 he told us that he made it a point to leave the past at the feet of Jesus. There was much in Paul’s past he could have regretted. But since the past is past, there was nothing he could do to change it. So Paul laid the past at the feet of Jesus and then turned his attention to the future. He disciplined himself to be forward-looking.
We can do that too. In fact, we must. If we don’t, the past will hold us captive and not allow us to move forward into the future with any real effectiveness.
Interestingly, in my counseling I found that the regrets many people have regarding the past didn’t necessarily involve things they did do, but things they didn’t do. “I wish I had gone to college.” “I should have trained for a different career.” “Why didn’t I save for retirement when I had the chance?”
It can hurt to realize how much time we’ve wasted and how many opportunities we either missed, or simply passed up. The only thing that hurts worse is to continue doing that now. Continue in that same pattern and it’s a sure bet that tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and next year you’ll have even more to regret.
The thing to do is to leave your past at the feet of Jesus and then turn your attention to the future. Make the best plans you can and then just start moving forward. You don’t have to have it all figured out and you don’t have to be perfect. Just do something today that will move you in the right direction and make you a little better than you were yesterday. Then do the same tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Before long you will have walked yourself into a future that’s better than the past.
It’s senseless to wallow in regrets about the past because that will hold you back. And worrying too much about the future can leave you paralyzed with uncertainty and fear. Give both of them to Jesus knowing that He has a great plan for your life and that He is in the process of working it out.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 