Pressing On

We all have past, a place where we were before we knew Jesus. We may have memories that make us cringe in shame and regret, but that's not where God wants our focus to be. Because if we are so busy looking back at the past, then there is a good chance we will lose our balance and stumble on the path before us.

Paul when he was still called Saul persecuted Christians, then Jesus showed him the light on the road to Damascus. After that he became an apostle and brought the Word to the gentile nations. In the Old Testament, Rahab was a prostitute, but after finding God she turned her life around and became an ancestor of Jesus. Moses and David were both murderers, and David was an adulterer too. Yet if any of these people had kept their focus on the past and their personal history, they never would have seen themselves as the people God already saw: His children who, with His strength and help, would further His kingdom. Paul states it best in Philippians 3 verses 13 and 14,

But I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.

We are all just works in progress. Not the finished person, but definitely not the lumpy mess we started out as. Forget the past and press on to the place that Jesus is calling you.

Be a Good Coach

I was reading one of my devotion books the other day about famous fathers. A phrase caught my eye that said, “A famous man is someone whose children love him.” I added to that and said, “A blessed child is one whose parents truly love them and God’s love is the foundation.” When you get to be my age you tend to reflect on life and wish you would have done things a little differently in the past. I think we have all messed up along the journey of life.

I coached baseball for several years, but before that I was fortunate to have a few good coaches along the way. I learned some things that stuck with me about the game, but more importantly I learned some life lessons from them. Coach Pete and Coach Harry taught me to be a good teammate, enjoy the game, play hard, and show respect to both teammates and opponents. In grade school I had a coach who was also my teacher. Respectfully, he didn’t know much about basketball. However, he taught us how to act, have fun, and follow orders. We knew he cared for us, and we learned to appreciate his authority because we knew he always had our best interests at heart.

Coach Pete and Coach Harry would always walk by and put an arm my shoulders and say, “You are doing good. Keep it up.” But if things were not going too good, they would still put their arms on my shoulders and say, “You are doing some good things out there, but why don’t we try it this way. Give it a try.” Now, if we disrespected the umpire, teammate, or opponent they would talk a little sterner.

My dad gave me instructions in a way that I respected. He did it in a kind way as long as I deserved it. Then I thought about God, our heavenly father, who guides us. I thought sometimes Coach God would want to call a timeout and chew us out real good because we didn’t listen and acted like jerks. Instead, He puts His arm around our shoulders and reminds us of our blessings and the good things and how we need to change some things.

Those are the things I remember about my coaches and parents. They all stood with me, strengthened me, and gave me guidance. God wants to always be on our side in the good times and bad. He wants a relationship like we had with our coaches, teammates, and best friends. 2 Timothy 4:17 says,

“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.”

We may not be called to preach, but we are called to live our lives as a testimony for our Lord and Savior to what He has done in our lives. So, this reminded me to just put my arm around a friend, our kids, or grandkids if they are struggling and let them know we are in it with them and give them encouragement. Those life lessons from those coaches were worth it. And just maybe God was working through those coaches I had so I would listen and let them help me. Be a good coach and show some compassion to those we love that may need some help.

When God Says No

God has an appropriate and wise answer for every prayer. Sometimes that answer is no. That was the case for the Apostle Paul when he pleaded with the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh. Paul recounts the story in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9,

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Sometimes when we pray God chooses to say no. In God’s providence and divine wisdom, sometimes God deems it best that He should walk us through the storm rather than calm the storm. There are times when God desires to perfect His power in us instead of showing His power at work around us. When God says no, He is wanting to build strength, dependence, and humility in us. If doesn’t seem like God is working on your outside situation at the moment it might be because He is trying to work on your inside. Here are six thoughts that can be help our faith when God says no.

1. God is working out things for our good in the midst of our problems.
2. God allows us to endure hardship but never without purpose or outside of His divine plan.
3. God has a different value system than we do at times. He values growth over comfort.
4. God is always able to meet our needs, and we should always trust He knows what He’s doing.
5. An awareness of your own weakness increases your capacity to experience God’s strength.
6. You can choose to be glad in hardship because God is using it to strengthen you.

As I look back on my life and the prayers that I have prayed, I am thankful that God, in His wisdom, loved me enough to tell me no. I may not have always understood what God was up to at first, but I could learn more and more to put my faith in His character and nature. He is a God that is real, that loves us, and knows what’s best. Now, that’s something that comforts my soul, even when God says no.

Focus

We have been talking in Sunday school class about keeping our focus intact with God as the center of our lives. We have looked back in biblical times when people were blessed and had their focus for awhile only to drift away from God. They leaned on and started worshiping idols or things that were not of God. Then as a people they were taken in captivity by nations that didn’t fear God. This happened several times. They were rescued by repenting and regaining their focus on God.

So, I was thinking, anything that causes us to lose our focus on God will eventually take us captive. The reminder of scripture is to stay focused and if you lose your focus, repent from the heart and make it right with God. We have seen people get wrapped up in things that aren’t bad in the right perspective, but they start to take over our lives and we have little time for God. Once we let things crowd God out of our lives that opens the door for worse things to creep in and all of a sudden, we are in captivity to sin. This happened in generations before Jesus and is still happening today.

When I was a young Christian, I used to wonder if could measure up to the Christian life standard. Temptation was around every corner. So, I studied and talked to Christians and ministers to find some answers. I found that I needed a consistent prayer life, regular engagement in scripture, and active participation in Christian community. There are also acts of gratitude, intentionally focusing on God’s presence through our daily life to worship and fellowship, and seeking God’s will.

Then I came upon looking at the New Testament Covenant or simply called the New Covenant. It is a promise between God and humanity. The New Covenant is about a new relationship where God promises forgiveness and a new way of life through Jesus. We can have a personal relationship with Him. His Holy Spirit can lead us if we are willing to let Him. As I said, there are times when I thought it was impossible to live up to a righteous Christian life because we are weak and temptation is everywhere. Well, I was right. I couldn’t do it in my own power. However, we have a friend that can help us, lead us, guide us, and we can have a personal relationship with Him. We don’t have to have anyone intercede for us, even though they may help us. We can talk to Jesus ourselves. He promised this to us in the New Covenant. We don’t have to know everything and don’t have to be perfect. We need to put our faith in God, love Him, trust Him, obey Him, and have a repentant heart when we fail. He promised we can have a new life if we follow Jesus. His Holy Spirit will guide us along our journey.

Romans 8:9 defines a Christian as anyone who has the Spirit of God living in them. If you have sincerely trusted Christ for salvation and acknowledge Him as Lord, then the Holy Spirit has come into your life. You are a Christian. It is a process of depending on the Holy Spirit to guide us through rough times while keeping open communication with God. We can’t do it in our own power. We need the Holy Spirit’s power to lift us and be with us along the way.

STAY FOCUSED ON GOD!