November 6, 2022
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Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Isaiah 43:18
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Matthew 9:16
No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
Matthew 9:17
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
What a blessing to be alive today, here in the present with hope for the future. Things may not be all rosy and the way that you would like them to be. You may not have all that you want to have, but you’re here in the present, with choices and opportunity and hope, because, as long as you’re in the land of the living there’s hope.
But too many times, we find ourselves looking back. We say if I had done this sooner, or did it that way, or made that choice then this would’ve happened or that would’ve happened. Or we look back on the people who did us wrong and the situations that didn’t work out the way we planned for them to work out. We may even look back on the people that we left behind when we decided to follow Jesus.
Jesus said that no man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. We must forsake all to follow the Lord. To forsake means to leave, to reject, or to abandon. This includes consciously choosing every day to reject bringing things of the past into the present if they don’t bring you closer to the Lord. Reflecting on all the things that God has done for you is wonderful and uplifting. But thinking on things that only serve to hold you back, such as what you didn’t do, wish you did, or did but wish you didn’t, leave that in the past, whether it was yesterday or yesteryear.
Holding on to things that are in the past, will only prevent you from living fully in the present, clearly hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice today, and moving forward into the bountiful future that God has planned for you. God wants to do a new thing in your life. But you have to let go of the old, so that God can bring in the new. Choose to live in the beauty of the gift of today. What God has for you is not in the past, it’s right here in the present, and in the future. So regardless of what happened in the past, thank the Lord for today. Choose to give Him your all, and don’t look back.
Prayer:
Dear Father God,
Thank You Lord for this day. Thank You Lord for seeing us through from our past to our present. Lord, You have done so many miraculous and wonderful things for us that we shall never forget, that have strengthened us for Your service. Please keep those things ever before us. But Lord we ask that You help us to not dwell on things of our past that hold us back from fully serving You in our present and fully receiving all that You have for us right now, as well as what You have waiting for us in the future. Lord, remove anything in us that is old so You can put in the new. We thank You Lord and claim it in victory right now.
In Jesus most holy name we pray, we love You Lord,
Amen
Copyright © 2022 Dr. Lou Ella V. Taylor PhD, CNS, RN