10/8/26
How often do we start a story with "several years ago" or "when I was younger"? We do this because we can and should learn from the past. There is a saying that says, "Those who forget the past are bound to relive it." It is wise to remember the past. However, it is not wise to live in the past, and this is the mistake many people make. They stop moving forward because of their past. It could be a past of glory or a past of failure; either can stop forward growth. We have all seen the silly TV shows where a person is in their 50s working a meaningless job but constantly talking about a big win in a high school sporting event that they had a part in. Or the person who refuses to attempt to try to continue in life because of a huge failure. They live in the past and just exist in today. This is a horrible situation to be in because it does not please God. We must learn from the past but not live in it.
A church that consistently speaks of and lives in its past will die in the future because it doesn't live in the now. This is the same for a business, a person, and a nation.
A great example of not doing this is Abraham Lincoln. He came from poverty. He remembered it, learned from it, but did not stay there. He had a failed business, a failed relationship, and more than one failed attempt at running for office. He remembered these; he learned from these, but he did not live in them. He continued to live in the now, planning for a life-filled future.
Paul writes about this in his second letter to the Church at Corinth. 2 Corinthians 12:6 NASB95 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.
Paul has spent the previous verses speaking of his past. Then he says, "For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth."
Everything he had spoken was true, and he had enough of a successful past that the people should be willing to listen and accept his guidance, just because of the glories of God in his past. However, Paul doesn't stop there. The text continues, "but I refrain from this." Paul reveals the glories of the past but then is saying, I am not going to ask you to follow my guidance simply because God used me in the past.
God using someone in the past doesn't necessarily mean He is using them now. They could have strayed away like so many whom Paul has mentioned in other letters. So instead of just looking at his past, Paul recommends they look at him now.
Listen to the rest of the verse: "so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me." Paul is telling the church, I am not asking you to accept who I was; I am asking you to look at who I am.
It isn't that I was a servant for the Lord; I am a servant for the Lord, and I plan to always be a servant for the Lord.
The lesson from today's text is simple: remember your past, but live now for the future, and Jesus needs to be that future. Hopefully, He was the past, but even if He wasn't, He needs to be your now. If He is your now, I guarantee He will not leave you in the future.
John Newton started early in life working in the slave trade business, but he didn't stop there. When he found Jesus, he was still in the business, but he didn't stop there. As he grew in Christ, he left the business, but he didn't stop there. As he continued to grow in Christ, he then began to fight against the business, but he didn't stop there. He later became a clergyman in the Anglican church and wrote the song Amazing Grace. Thank the Lord he didn't live in the past!
Remember, but don't live in the past; live in Jesus now!
Love, Brother Scott