The Scriptures remind us of the past. Genesis is the beginning and from there we have historical records of folks who have lived in the past. They experienced much the same as we do now. Wars were fought. People died in battle. Raids came and took produce and children away. Slavery has been part of if not all of life for millions of folks. Our past isn’t so long-depending upon our age. My wife and I chuckled at the Little Leaguer who was being interviewed after his team had won the championship. He said he had been looking forward to that moment all of his life. He was twelve. At age twelve time seems to go by a bit slower than for us ‘older’ folks, doesn’t it?
Jesus taught us not to worry. So, if we are haunted by the past and we worry about what happened in it, we must stop letting the past terrorize us and paralyze us. We have better things to do. We have the present moment. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I love that passage. It brings me into a reality that the present moments of life are what should be enjoyed. We must not let them slip by without filling our day with the best that life offers. We may have to work all day long, but rejoice in the fact that work is available, health enables us to do it, and who knows what all the rewards will be from it. “The joy of the Lord will be our strength.” Whatever the circumstances, challenge, hardship or trouble; we who walk with Jesus have the presence of the Almighty to help us. So the day is surely one in which we can rejoice.
Instead of saying “the future”, I elected to direct us to our hope that is to be found in Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the grave. He has conquered death and gives us opportunity to be victorious over the wages of sin through His own death. Hope is something that is still to come. I am completely convinced that Christ intended for His disciples to live in hope of what lies ahead. His promises are grand. They are secured by truth that will never fail. Every day we are blessed by having, as the apostle Peter wrote, “living hope”.
The past may be very sad, today may be filled with tragedies of all kinds, but we are the Father’s children. We are headed to the ‘Home of the Soul’.
Are you filled with this kind of hope? Do you let the past terrorize you? Is today so overwhelming that there doesn’t seem to be any hope of a better day tomorrow? Let’s talk about Jesus.
ninthstcoc@gmail.com , 325-365-2330, Ninth St. church of Christ PO Box 561, Ballinger, TX 76821
Max Pratt
