Eight Principles for a Joyful Life - #4

Not putting this principle into practice crushed my joy for a long time. Principle #4 is based on Philippians 3:13b-14 where Paul writes,

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

So Principle #4 is:

Don't let your past keep you from moving forward. Past failure does not mean future failure.

Paul had persecuted Christians and the church before God saved him. Imagine if Paul had constantly beat himself over the head for his past failures and decided he wasn't worthy to do what God was calling him to do. We would not have two thirds of the New Testament!

I beat myself up about my past for years before God convicted me of how wrong it was to do that. Jesus died to set me free from past sins and failures. But instead of seeing myself as a new creation in Christ, I saw myself as the flaky, messed-up person I was before Christ.

In my early years as a Christian, I came close to dropping out of ministry because I felt unworthy to carry out what God had called me to do. But the truth is, apart from Christ, none of us are worthy. One of the enemy's tools is to get us to focus on past failures and flaws in order to discourage us from stepping out in faith to obey God.

It helps me to think about people in the Bible who had a past they weren't proud of. Yet God overcame their failures and used them greatly. Moses was a murderer, David was an adulterer, Elijah ran from Jezebel in fear and wanted to die. If God can use them in spite of their past, He can use us in spite of what our past looks like.

My challenge for us today is to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus." Let's allow God to heal memories of past hurts, failures, and flaws so we can spend our time and energy pressing on toward the goal. I had to let God renew my mind and convince me of His love in order to let go of the past. That goes back to spending time with Him in He Word and in prayer. Funny how it keeps coming back to that!

I want to end with one of my favorite verses that speaks volumes about our heavenly Father. When we're tempted to wallow in past failures, let's think about how God sees us. Zephaniah 3:17 says,

The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Believe it!

Christmas Hope

Time zoomed by these last few weeks. I last posted on December 7. Somewhere I lost two weeks in the midst of Chrismas shopping, parties, and special times with grandkids. But it's been a joyful time!

Instead of doing part two of The Irony of Work, I'm compelled to focus on the magnificent hope we have because of Christmas. I left yesterday's church service with my head in the clouds - the clouds of heaven.

Christmas season hits some people like a hammer blow, leaving them bruised and battered. Illness, loss of a job, family disputes, or the death of a loved one can rob us of our Christmas hope.

Today let's walk above our circumstances. Read this slowly and let the hope sink into your heart.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.2 Cor 4:16-18

Our troubles may seem neither light nor momentary unless viewed in the context of eternity. Jesus coming to earth as a baby, dying on a cross for our sins and then rising again confirms the reality that our troubles are light and momentary.

The pain we feel, the suffering we experience now will someday be gone. This is our Christmas hope:

And I heard a loud voice saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live wth them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Rev 21:3-4

When painful circumstances threaten to overwhelm us, let's turn our thoughts to the eternal glory God has in store for us and the joy we'll experience when God wipes away all our tears.

Father, we praise you that Jesus came as a baby to die for our sins so that we could be forever reconciled to you. Help us focus on our eternal future with you as we celebrate his birth this week.

I pray for all of those who are living through painful times this week. Please comfort them and give them your peace.

In Jesus' precious name,
Amen