Skip to main content

"You won’t find God in the past."

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2013-09-24) from his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Locations 623-624). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Such a good thought.  Mark says, “His name is not I WAS.  His name is I AM.  He is an ever-present help.  And when we cling too tightly to what God did last, we often miss what God wants to do next.  God is at work right here, right now.”

That is so good.  And we do that.  We so many times live off of the experiences of our past but there is something new that God wants to do in and through us today.  There are lessons to be learned from our past but they must be lived out today.  Your past is past.  God is the God of the present.

What is it that He wants to do in you today?  Oh you may have had a great weekend but that is over. "This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

I was talking with a friend today about an experience he had back at Christmas and an injustice that had happened to him.  And it still made him mad.  He had carried it over to today.  We dealt with the fact that God wanted to free him from the pain of that situation.  The way we free ourselves is in an action that must be done today.  It is through forgiveness.  God is here today to help you forgive those people but it is to be done today.

Some live in the future and what they believe God wants to do in their future but the reality is it starts today.  What is it you must do today?  A goal is great and it starts with an action today.

That sermon that you heard yesterday was really challenging so what are you going to change today?  That situation that is weighing heavy on your mind has something in it that God wants you to do today.  Maybe it is just to be confident in the fact that He is faithfully at work today.  That He is doing something so you need to quit worrying.  What action can you do today that shows you believe that?

He is the God who wants to work in your today.  Just rely on that fact.

Mark also said, “At some point in our lives, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory.  That’s the day we stop living and start dying.  To be fully alive is to be fully present.  It mandates leaving the past in the past.”

So where are you living today?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Jesus comes in the midst of the torrent."

  A thought by Max Lucado from his book,  You Are Never Alone  (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)   We all have storms in our lives, don't we? Max says, "No one gets through life scot-free. At one point or another the sky will darken, the winds will rage, and we will find ourselves in a modern-day version of the Galilean gusher." John 6:16–18 (NIV) says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." Max goes on, "The hearts of the followers began to sink as their boat was certain to do. Their skin was soaked, throats hoarse, eyes wide. They searched the sky for a break in the clouds. They gripped the boat for fear of the waves. They screamed their prayers for help. But they heard nothing. "If only Jesu

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind