The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Leaving the Past Behind" for Sunday, 12 February 2017 with Scripture: Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I, for my part, do not think of myself as having yet gotten hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind me and straining forward toward what lies ahead, 14 I keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by God’s upward calling in the Messiah Yeshua.-------
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.[Isaiah 43:18 (NIV)]
I have a habit of living in the past. I find myself wondering how my life would have turned out had I done things differently. What if I had learned to drive earlier? What if I had gone to a different college or chosen a different major? My world becomes focused on “what ifs” instead of what is.
Sometimes these thoughts turn to the sins I have committed. I start dwelling on them and become consumed by guilt. I begin repeatedly asking God for forgiveness. I forget that God has already forgiven me and that I can move forward unburdened by past my sins.
God does not want any of us to live in the past. With God’s forgiveness, we can leave our past mistakes behind and live for today. We can enjoy the present as we experience God’s love.
The Author: Patrick Castleberry (Mississippi, USA)
Thought for the Day: With God’s grace, I do not have to dwell on the past.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your love and forgiveness that frees us from our past. Help us to live in the present. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matt. 6:9-13, KJV).
Prayer focus: Those struggling to live in the present
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