Written by
His Grace,
Kevin K.
O’Connor
Sep. 15,
2004
Main
thought: A challenge for us to examine how we walk our walk in this temporary
existence.
GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARD?
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing
I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, (Whole
Chapter: In
context: )
Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit
for service in the kingdom of God." (Whole Chapter: In
context: )
Thank our
Lord for our past for if it wasn’t there, we wouldn’t be here today. But, just
like a GPS (Global Positioning System), which needs a single point of reference
to be able to give us the multitude of directions to get to our destination, so
we should view our life. In other words, we all have a past from which we
should be growing from and not living in. There are those who do not want to
even consider the past which is not right for that is denying who we were and
what we’ve done which in many respects determine who we are today so that we
can learn from that and become who we are meant to be tomorrow. Then there are
those who only want to live in the past, which is destructive also, for Christ
is coming back for overcomers and overcomers don’t live in the past.
It seems
that people who are bitter are those who refuse to let go of the past and move
into growth as to where they should be. Then there are those who are carefree
who refuse to look at the past and go bumping along without looking at the
consequences of their actions and they too will not find themselves maturing
into the men and women God desires them to be.
Our God
desire us to be going forward but at the same time not forgetting where we’ve
come from so that we will not continue falling into the pitfalls of yesterday.
The following is where He expresses His sorrow for our lack of remembering;
They did not remember his power- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
(Whole Chapter: In
context: )
And again He warns us of
the importance of remembering our own weaknesses;
Remember this and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God to anger in
the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been
rebellious against the LORD . (Whole Chapter: In
context: )
I have experienced heart wrenching pain. I know what it is
like to hope that each car coming your way would drift over into your lane and
put you out of your misery. But, God reached into that pain and sorrow and gave
me a beam of light that my heart heard and hung onto which lifted me from that
pit of sorrow and suffering;
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a
rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Whole Chapter: In
context: ) That
beam of Light is His Word. The Word He gave me is Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the
desires of your heart. (Whole Chapter: In
context: )
Boy! did
my heart hurt badly and how it needed to be made whole. And as soon as my weary
broken heart heard His Word, life began to take root. And as I began to live
what He had spoken into my sorrowful heart, the Life continued to grow and
eventually filled the void that sorrow had produced. Darkness cannot dwell
where light exists and God’s Word is Light!
John 1:1-5 1In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He
was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life,
and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the
darkness, but the darkness has not understood[1] it. What nourishes the Word of God to blossom and grow within our
hearts so that the void will be overcome? First, being honest with one another,
God, and ourselves. Not trying to hide the fact that we are wicked and that all
of our own ways are sinful and selfish. But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away. (Whole Chapter: In context: ) Next, we need to realize that the
answer to overcome our own weaknesses does not come from within ourselves but
from within Him. "Woe to him who
quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on
the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your
work say, 'He has no hands'? (Whole Chapter: In context: ) Yet, O LORD
, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all
the work of your hand. (Whole Chapter: In context: ) Third, realize that God is the One
who has ultimate power and authority over all things Who
will only act on behalf of those who have Faith in Who He is and What He is
able to do. And
without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
(Whole Chapter: In context: ) As these traits become dominant in
our lives, the Word of God will have the soil in which to take hold and grow.
The most beautiful seed in the world that produces the most delicious fruit of
all time does no good whatsoever if the soil in which it is planted is shallow
and lifeless.
The River of Life that we’re all in is flowing powerfully in
the realms of the physical because that is where we live. Thus, we’re either moving against the flow and growing into the image of
Christ our King or we’re not and thus being moved along by the world’s
influences. There is a joy in victory that only those who have taken up arms
can attest to. We were made in the image
of God and something about us needs to be challenged and put to the test. God
is Living and Active and so should we be. For
the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Whole
Chapter: In context: ) Trials and tests happen, that is this
life. But, what is not of this life is an attitude that we were not meant for
this world and this world alone. God Bless every soul who can see that we were
meant for eternity and so need the Eternal God to instruct us in the ways of
Life everlasting. God bless every life that refuses the way of comfort and ease
by going with the flow but who rises to the challenge of growing into the image
Christ Who overcame the world. "I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world." (Whole Chapter: In context: ) and
some more great verses are
for everyone born of God
overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
(Whole Chapter: In context: ) and Who
is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of
God. (Whole Chapter: In context: )
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your
very Heart, Jesus, into this world! Lord Jesus, Thank You
for being the express image of Your Father’s heart and overcoming all things
for us. Teach us how to sit at Your feet and learn
from You so that we may live with You through all eternity. In Jesus Glorious,
Eternal Name, Amen.
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