Perfect
“God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect.”
II Samuel 22:33 NKJV
I remember as a kid riding in the back seat of the car with my sisters and getting the “knock it off look” in the rear view mirror from my Dad or Mom. That’s usually all it took. I said “usually”.
Fast forward to my adult life. My wife and I with our kids, grandkids, and our English Bulldogs. There was always plenty going on in the back seat. I’m not ashamed to say I myself have shot a few “knock it off” glances in the rear view mirror over the years.
I’m sure we all have heard the analogy of the “windshield is bigger than the rear view mirror” to remind us our future is where we need to focus our attention. Jesus was the one who started that analogy.
“Remember Lot’s wife.”
Luke 17:32 NKJV
One of the shortest verses in the Bible. Here’s the back story:
She was the woman running for her life with her family in Genesis 19. As they ran, destruction was raining down on their hometown of Sodom, and despite being told not to look back by an angel who was holding her hand, she turned and looked back. Scripture tells us, “But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.”
Lot’s wife was told one thing: “Don’t look back,” and the one thing she was told not to do is the one thing she did. Why?
We all have our reasons for looking back. Maybe it’s fond memories in our past. Maybe it’s to remember where we’ve been or what we’ve been through.
“But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””
Luke 9:62 NKJV
Talk about distracted driving. Can you imagine trying to drive while only looking in the rear view mirror? You’d be in a wreck in no time. God’s plan IS always moving forward.
Look to Him, eyes forward!
““This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.””
Hebrews 10:16-17 NKJV
God isn’t about dragging up your past or looking in the rear view mirror. God IS moving on, building your future.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
God says:
““Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
Isaiah 43:18 NIV
Learning from the past is different than living in the past.
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14 NKJV
Keep pressing forward, yesterday is gone, today is all you have. The race is in front of us.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
So, the next time you hear a ruckus from the backseat, satan reminding you of your past and distracting you from your future, glance in the mirror and in the name of Jesus tell him to “knock it off” and get back to the road ahead.
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
In Jesus Name - Amen
Pastor Doug
