Muscle or Cognizant Memory

When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Suddenly? Really? It may seem to some of us that the 'whole new thing' isn't all that 'new' - some of that 'old stuff' hangs around for a while, or crops up from time to time, making it kind of hard to say everything became 'new' when we said 'yes' to Jesus. It isn't uncommon that the hurts and hangups of yesterday can creep up from time to time, all because we have both muscle memory and cognizant memory. Muscle memory is when we do something without even giving it much conscious thought. Cognizant memory is when we actually think upon it, then act upon it, oftentimes making a very 'determined' decision to pursue something we might know to be entirely wrong for us. Either way, we struggle with those things that creep up on occasion, making us wonder if this 'new us' really 'took hold' when we invited Christ into our lives! Truth be told, we might believe the 'bridge' to our past is broken so well that we could not pass that way again, but if we are honest, some of us actually hold onto some 'building materials' just in case we decide to 'go back' that way again!

Rather than doubt that all things have become new, we have to reassure ourselves over and over again that when Christ declared us 'new' he also provided us with the means to let go of those building materials. We may have stockpiled a few loads of that stuff that ties us to the past, but as long as we are willing to put forth the effort to obtain some new 'building materials', our present doesn't have to be tied to our past any longer. As our new year continues, we may have committed to getting into God's word - actually dusting off that bible, cracking the barely opened pages, and setting forth into a 'reading plan' of sorts. Reading is good, but we may lack the 'building material' of actually taking the time to record just a few words or thoughts about what that scripture we're reading is saying about our lives, how to let go of some of that 'old stuff', and what to do when things like 'muscle memory' find us acting as we acted before we said yes to Christ. It is one thing to be given the new building materials, it is another to learn how to use them. It may not be journaling we are missing, but it could be we don't have a strong support system of other believers. 

Either way, we need to ask Jesus what we are lacking, then listen closely to what he says will help us to break the bonds to our muscle or cognizant memory that keeps us focused on what we 'were' and stops us from seeing what we 'are' and 'are becoming'. Just sayin!

The dividing wall

Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night. (Exodus 14:19-20)

In reading through the account of Moses and Egyptians standing at the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian armies approaching from their rear, I was caught by this account of God's protection. Moses had been telling the people God would defend them, that he'd be their place of safety as they left Egypt, but some did not realize he would do what he was about to do on their behalf. They complained, wanting to turn back, even if it meant being in bondage to the Egyptian people. It isn't uncommon to want to turn back when we realize the struggle ahead may take us into the unknown. In fact, we probably have all stood at our 'Red Sea' at one time or another, not really sure we want what lies ahead, but also not so happy with what lies behind. We are indeed dissatisfied or disappointed with our past, but we are very uncertain about our future, so we might just opt for the 'known' instead of trusting God with what is 'unknown'.

What I would like us to observe this morning is where God positions himself in this picture. He moved to the rear of the camp. Isn't that an odd place for the angel of God to be? Wouldn't we expect him to be out front, leading them onward, telling them to keep their eyes on him? The angel of God placed himself at the rear, effectively drawing a line between the Israelites and the Egyptians - so there was a boundary of sorts. Why is this important for us to see? While God positions the pillar of fire and cloud before them, he positions the angel behind them. Perhaps this was so they'd see they were surrounded with God's protective power. When we are tempted to 'turn back', maybe God sends something we don't fully see to act as a barrier between us and that 'history' we need to put in our rear-view mirror. We may not recognize it as the angel of God, but I think it may be as powerful!

God creates a barrier between the past and he prepares a cleared path into their future. Perhaps the barriers we have been pushing back are meant to keep us from turning back. If so, maybe it is time we recognize God doesn't want us going that way any longer and has a well-prepared path prepared for us just up ahead. Every step of obedience is always accomplished when we face forward and stop pushing back against the barriers to our past. Just sayin!

Now it looks a bit better!

The past always looks better than it was. It's only pleasant because it isn't here. (Finley Peter Dunne)

When does a person know they are finally done with their past? That might just be one of the toughest questions for us to answer because our past doesn't always have a way of staying in the past, does it? There will be times when the memory is flooded with something we have said, done, or experienced and there is just no stopping it coming forward. Truth be told, our past is a mish-mosh of both good and bad - it is fine if the memories that flood in are the good ones, but when they are the bad ones, we don't actually enjoy those memories. 

God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1:5-7)

As I have matured, I realize the way I experienced and apprehended things in my twenties is much different from the way I do now in my sixties. The events didn't change, but the way I remember them does. How does that happen? If we are honest, there is a degree to this 'change' in our remembering that we don't fully understand, but I believe it is because God has been at work within us. He has helped us to see clearly the things in the past that fully belong to the past and those lessons we can take from them that we can use in our present.

If God is light and there is no darkness at all in him, isn't it possible that he will also be able to 'filter out' the darkness of those memories and help us to see only the 'light' that he brings forward in the form of 'lessons'? The cleansing from sin is thorough, but the lessons we take away from those sinful moments is lifelong. The past need not be a thing we dread or 'will away' as though it should not ever be thought about again. In fact, when God helps us to see our past through his eyes, we begin to see just how much he loved us even when we weren't all that lovely! Just sayin!

The past has a loud voice

 One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. (Golda Meir)

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:21-23)

We have many choices in this life, but there is no greater one than choosing to leave our old way of doing things behind and choosing to live by the grace and love of God within our lives. We may attempt to erase the past, but we oftentimes find it hard to 'get past' what we have done, guilt and even shame haunting us about some of the decisions we have made. The one thing we can never forget is that God is all about new beginnings. We may have chosen unwisely in the past, but we don't need to make those same choices today.

When we really 'hear' the truth, we also begin to 'learn' it. Hearing is the beginning of all change - in time, the more we choose to make those 'right choices' we have been learning while under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, the more we will find those things within our past have absolutely no room in our present. We cannot 'erase' it, but God can take the many leftover parts of our past - memories, scars, and even losses - and turn them into such magnificent things in our present. We cannot allow the past to rob us of our present, but sometimes our past has great lessons we can take along with us as we walk in the 'here and now' with Christ.

As we 'hear' and 'learn', we come into a place of trusting God with those 'past mistakes and regrets'. We may still bear the scars of those choices, but God has a way of turning what we may deem to be ugly and regrettable into something of beauty and purpose. While we struggle to find the purpose in it, he does not. How is trust like this developed? In our daily times with him, discovering his truth within the Word of God, and in times of listening. One of our greatest challenges can be in choosing to listen to what he says about our past and what our past continues to tell us about ourselves within our memories. Just sayin!

Flee the burden

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:39-42)

Many believed because of what the woman shared - others believed because of what they heard him and believed. Just imagine what would have happened if the woman had not shared what happened at the well, harboring all that she had experienced just for herself. Others who were ready and waiting to receive their Messiah might have missed the opportunity. There is something quite powerful in sharing what Jesus has done in your life, but there is something even more powerful in coming to the conclusion that you need him in spite of what you have done in your life. This woman, married five times, living out of wedlock with another, likely had a lot of shame in her life. She came alone to the well, at noonday - not first thing in the morning with the rest of the women of the township. Something 'set her apart' from her peers - we will probably not know what it was for sure, but it is likely she was not very well respected in her town. Yet, when she encounters Jesus, and he encounters her, she immediately runs back to tell everyone what she had just experienced. This is likely the 'freedom' of newfound faith!

No longer encumbered by her past, she was 'free' to share her future - a future that would be lived at the feet of Jesus, in the Kingdom of God. I think some of us take our newfound faith, packing up all the baggage of our past, and try to somehow live out this life of 'freedom' while carrying the baggage we should have left behind. All that shame, probably too great for any of us to realize, left at the well. She didn't take it all back - she fled from it! Maybe there is a lesson for each of us there - freedom from our past might just require us to 'flee from it' instead of picking it back up again. If you have ever caught an 'ugly creature' in your home, like a scorpion or spider, you don't play with it, you scoop it up in covered container, run outside, shake it out of the container as fast as possible, and then run back inside! Why? It didn't belong in the freedom of your house, and you don't want to stick around long enough to be its next victim! Our past will attempt to make us its 'victim' as long as it can, but Jesus tells us we are no longer victims of sin - we are free to live a new life in him!

We are never truly free until we leave that stuff behind. The woman left her water jar at the well - running back to the village - no longer afraid to be with them. There are 'jars' we need to leave - not just empty and carry around with us. Whatever they are, today is the day to not only leave them, but allow Jesus to break them once and for all, so they can no longer be of use in 'carrying our burdens' any longer. When he gives you that freedom, and he will give you that freedom, go and tell others what he has done. You might just see others laying down their jars of burden, fleeing far from them, and right into the arms of Jesus. Just sayin!

In the past...

But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. At one time you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. In the past you had never received mercy, but now you have received God’s mercy. (I Peter 2:9-10)

A chosen people - chosen for a purpose. The purpose? To tell the world about the wonderful acts of God - especially his 'action' of redemption. The 'righting' of the world through the grace we find in Christ Jesus. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we all live in a 'dark place' without Christ. We make decisions that are self-directed, and we don't always make wise ones. With Christ at the center of our lives, we are called to live lives that reflect the light that comes when his grace enters our lives. That 'telling' is our role - but even the empowerment to 'tell' is given by God himself.

Scripture does much to point out the 'before and after' of life with God in control vs. life without him in control. Numerous examples are given of the 'with and without' experience. Either you have entered into his mercy, or you have not. There is no middle ground on that matter. Notice that there is also this 'past' and 'present' condition of heart that is referenced. The moment we receive grace, there is a past. The more we invite Christ into the present, the past is put behind us.

We are called - chosen to live a life where Christ is enthroned in the very center of it. Christ cannot be on the 'fringes' of our lives. That isn't where he belongs. As long as we attempt to keep him at the 'fringes', we will never know fully what grace has done for us. We only experience the depth and breadth of those actions of grace when he is at the center of our lives. If we want to see real and lasting change within our lives, it begins with the invitation to come to him. Then it continues on with us allowing him to be the center of our thoughts. As our thoughts begin to be affected by grace, all the rest of the stuff we find to be a part of the 'past life' will begin to drop away. Just sayin!

A tended landscape

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them. (James Baldwin)

I'd have to say this is pretty accurate about most of us - our history actually 'traps us' and we are bound to it like super-glue to our fingers. All of us have a 'history'. All of us has had to deal with that 'history' or else we bury it deeper and deeper because it was too hard to deal with. Regardless of buried or 'dealt with', the history remains - it happened - it left a mark of sorts. On occasion I am haunted by some of the things I have done, said, or thought - in my distant past, but still coming up in my memory from time to time. It isn't that these things aren't under the grace of Jesus - sins confessed, dealt with, and moved on from. It is that our memory has a way of being used as a 'weapon' against us during some of our weakest moments. Maybe this is why God emphasizes us bringing EVERY thought captive - because the battle begins in the mind! If we allow those 'past events' to cloud our present, even when under the grace of Jesus, we are allowing things into our present that have absolutely NO right being there. It will lead to frustration, despair, hopelessness, and sometimes even anger. No good will come of it.

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. (James 1:21)

While our 'history' is within us - it happened, we were there and involved in it - it doesn't have to be in our present. God asks us to allow him to 'landscape us with the Word'. Why? The power of the Word of God combats those 'histrionic thoughts' that keep coming up. I am able to 'tell' my mind there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). I am able to 'tell' my mind every thought is being brought captive and I will not dwell on past sins, missed opportunities, or wrongful decisions (2 Corinthians 10:5). Do you see what I did there? I used scripture to combat those thoughts that come to haunt me from my past. What did Jesus do while facing Satan in the wilderness? He used the Word of God! Why would it be any different for us? It shouldn't be! We are to be 'landscaped with the Word of God' - taking in the Word actually creates a 'different landscape' than our past laid out before us, and this is a very good thing!

We have to invite him into our 'history', though. When we do, grace covers over the things that could haunt us for years and years. In fact, he takes our 'history' and turns it into HIS STORY. The story he tells with our lives is one of grace upon grace. It is the turning of the soil time and time again that makes the richest of gardens. The landscaper doesn't just plant, walk away, and hope for the best. He tends each plant, replenishing the soil, turning it from time to time, and adding what is needed to bring about the most luxurious of landscapes. Can we expect God to do the same within us through his Word? Absolutely! Some of our  history brought us grief and peril - but through the Word of God, grief was replaced by joy and peril by hope. Trust him to do his work with your past. The landscape is set - let the landscaper now tend it! Just sayin!

Today will be different

God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet... God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, but a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said. (Psalm 103:6-18)

Memory is a powerful tool - learning how to use it to our advantage can be one of the most difficult tasks we can undertake, for we remember what we'd be best to let go, and we don't remember some of the most awesome moments God provides for our growth and restoration. If you have ever caught yourself bemoaning where you ARE, you have probably forgotten where you came FROM. We have selective memories, at best. Focusing too intently on one thing keeps us from seeing the things we might just need to hold a little closer to our hearts. We can be a little guilty of yearning for the "good old days". We want things to be the way they used to be - not because things were all that much better, but our memories paint the picture of those bygone times being way cooler or better than our present circumstances. One thing I have learned to do when I am hit with a sudden bought of "good old day" yearning is to run things through my memory again, but through a different "filter". I ask the Holy Spirit to make clear what it is I recall - not relying upon my "translation" of what I recall as the way it was. Even the "good old days" were riddled with some pretty heavy stuff and challenges I almost thought would break me. I just choose to remember the good stuff and shut out the bad and I don't believe I am alone in this "memory" issue.

What does asking the Holy Spirit's help do for our "memory"? He helps put into perspective the things we went through to get where we are now. In essence, he helps us remember things from our past which we've "worked through" - things we'd probably rather not go through again. We recall the "good stuff" - he helps us remember the "hard stuff". Remembering the "hard stuff" helps keep us from repeating mistakes, making unwise choices, and having to "relearn" lessons. Another thing the Holy Spirit does by refocusing our "remembrance" of events is help us define who we are - God's kids, cared for by his hand, and made right because he has watched over us through all of life's circumstances. As we go through stuff in life, he is there to help us process "through" them, keeping us from muddling through by our own efforts. We sometimes forget this important "companion" we have on our journey - thinking we have to make it through on our own because in our mind we think we ought to be able to handle stuff. We often formulate this belief of having to "handle stuff" we go through because it is kind of familiar to us - like we have been through something similar in the past. If there is one thing I know for sure, the thing which seems vaguely familiar to me may look and sound a lot like something I have walked through before, but there are all different players, I am at a different point in my life, and the event is only "similar", it is not the "same". We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us the similarities, but to also help us see the uniqueness in the circumstance.

The important thing to keep in mind is the work of the Holy Spirit in helping us with our "filing system". You see, he is a "master filer" - he knows what will be needed again and what is okay to just "shred"! If you are anything like me, you have a pile on the top of your desk right now - old mail, notes, and idea sheets. Some needs to be discarded while others are important. Very few of the items in the pile actually need to make it to the filing cabinet - because they need to be saved for future reference. The Holy Spirit is attuned to the "right stuff" to save for "future reference". He can guide us in "shredding" the stuff which is just junk and the stuff which really doesn't matter once processed. Then he leaves us with the things which really need to be "filed away" for future reference. Since the work of the Holy Spirit is to both help us remember correctly and to file away what really matters, isn't it important to consult him when we might just be experiencing a little "recall" problem? When we allow him to help us with recall, we often get a different perspective on the matter. My "memory" of the way things were doesn't always match "reality". We "file away" things which don't always "translate" into reality in quite the same manner! The next time we get a little too focused on wishing for the "good old days", we might just do well to ask the Holy Spirit to help us recall the "truth" about what we filed away! He will help us see the work of God in our lives a little clearer and keep us on track today. We only need to ask. Just sayin!

Let's get caught up

You have probably heard it said that the enemy of the present is our past. In other words, we fight battles with our past more frequently than we fight battles with our present - but we are fighting them in the "space" our present is supposed to occupy! Our "present" has a purpose, but we occupy it with the things from our "past" which still gnaw at us. I wonder just how much of the present we miss because we are so focused on the past? The only thing changeable is the present - the past is forever just that - past. Why then do we spend so much time focusing on it? One of the most common reasons we do this is the familiarity we have with our past – it is an easy place to drift into because it is a former “routine” for us. We hope by focusing on the past, we might just find something worthwhile there which can "benefit" our present. The issue with this is that most of what is in our past really brings us to the point of being overwhelmed in our present - because the past worries and sins coupled with the present worries and sins will give us way too much to deal with! Don't get me wrong - there are indeed benefits to dealing with some of the stuff in our past - like letting go of addictions. Yet, most of what is in our past only produces greater amounts of guilt when we bring those things into our present.

Now God, don’t hold out on me, don’t hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. (Psalm 40:11-12)

The problems of yesterday were "created" on a different "level" from where we are today. Trying to relate to them today will likely bring them into focus in a different light. This is how we deal with the past - we bring the things which trouble us from our past into a different light - a different "level" of maturity. We shouldn't try to deal with those things with that past "level" of maturity because we'd be frustrated if we did. This might just be why we continue to deal with the same old stuff over and over again - we never grow, never reach a new "level". How do we get past this level of immaturity so we can deal successfully with the stuff which needs to be finally and firmly put into the past and left there? God is the best one to help us identify what belongs truly in our past and what has a value or lesson for our present. When we don't take those things from our past to him to see if there is any relationship to our present, we miss that there are things from our past which God uses to improve our present and set us up for success in our future. Breaking bondage to a certain habit is a good example of this. The habit began in the past, was built in the past, and is ever-present in the here and now. When God begins to help us identify what led us into the place of bondage to that life-controlling habit, we begin to let go of those things in our past, focusing on the possibilities in our present, and setting our focus right for both the present and the future.

God has given us the resources TODAY to deal with what we did not deal with well in the PAST. Today's resources are based on things like our attentiveness to learning from the Word. As we live in the present, taking the Word we receive today, applying it to today's challenges, yesterday's worries and challenges may actually take on a different light. We are beginning to see them from a different "level". Our perspective changes when we focus on today and allow yesterday to no longer define us. When we allow God to take what he gives us today to the point of changing who we are today, we cannot help but see how he puts the stuff of our past into a "right perspective", as well. God wants to be our focus. Whenever we focus on the impossibilities of our past, we exclude him from our focus. We almost make our past our master instead of God. As long as we keep God in the center of our present, he will put our past into perspective. When we allow our past to master us, it makes it almost impossible for us to connect to the grace God extends to us. Grace is unmerited favor - we get what we don't deserve. Oftentimes, we let go of the past by embracing the grace we didn't deserve, but which was extended to us in his love. God puts the past into the past - his focus is not on what we've done, but on what we are doing. He gives us grace sufficient to "deal" with our past - but it is silly for us to keep seeking grace for what he has already declared to be "erased".

Changing our today doesn't always mean we have to change our yesterday. We allow yesterday to be put into right perspective - grace erasing what we could not. We are limited by what we focus on in our past - it affects who we are. God's hope for us is to live in the present, disallowing the "limitations" of our past to affect our present. We will always be limited by our past - but we can live in limitless grace and hope as long as we keep our focus clearly in the present. Just sayin!

It is over

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Are you in 'union' with Christ? If so, you got a fresh start - the past has been erased. Before you roll your eyes on that one, let me assure you I know being totally free of our past it is easier said than done. In the eyes of Jesus, it is a done deal. In our eyes, and more importantly, in our memories, it is a much harder leap of faith to let go of the past. It kind of 'lingers' and holds onto us like some 'blood-sucking' creature from the lagoon. The truth we must rely upon is that the 'relationship' we have with our past is 'settled'. It isn't there to haunt us any longer because God settled any debt owed. We are no longer 'bound' to our past - but we have to convince our minds to let go of what no longer holds us in bondage. 

What does the word 'settled' actually entail? According to my dictionary, it means something is 'fixed or established, unlikely to change'. I have to ask - does holding onto the past allow us to do anything good with our present? It is highly unlikely. All it does is cloud the view we have of our present and keep us from even thinking about the future. When something is 'settled', it is ENDED. The relationship we have with our past has been determined as 'done and over'. If God sees it that way, then perhaps our best tact to take is to ask him to help us see it as he sees it. At first, it will not seem like much changes when we pray this prayer, but as we keep praying it, God begins to help us focus less and less on the past and more and more on the future.

As I went through my divorce, all I could see was the 'stuff' or 'baggage' from that relationship that I didn't really want to see any longer. I had 'bad feelings', and those feelings 'tainted' everything around me. I needed a clean break, but didn't know how to be free of those feelings, much less the sense of failure and lack of hope the end of that relationship left me with. The more I committed it to God, the less I seemed to focus on the things that left me feeling so 'tainted'. It took a good couple of years before I actually began to walk free from those ugly feelings, but in time there was little to no pull to look back at that ugly place. I had allowed God to settle it inside me - to help me break free of the rejection, distrust, and anger. 

The past isn't always the easiest to let go of - the present is always the easiest to embrace. That said, our past is settled - it is a done deal. God took all of it into his court and removed any hold that past can have over us today. The break we need may not be that far away - it might just be we need to ask, keep asking, and then allow God to help us see the past has ENDED and the present is begun. Just sayin!

Yesterday versus Today

He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?” They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further. (Mark 6:1-6)

To form a perception beforehand as a result of previously held or known information is not always the smartest thing we can do in life. Some of us have a tendency to gravitate toward what we "know" about a person, forming an opinion of that person based on the small number of facts we have already ascertained, but neglecting to dig any deeper or try any harder to get to know much about them. The problem with this is the limitation in what it is we know about that individual. We likely have some facts, but we really don't get beyond those "facts" to consider the "rest of the story". Jesus found himself in that predicament on this day. He returns to his hometown - the folks who should know him best are all gathered around. He spends time teaching on the Sabbath - probably preaching a good lesson to boot. We even hear that he "made a real hit" with his friends and associates - impressing everyone who heard his teaching. Just as quickly as they were "impressed" by what they heard, they become just as "unimpressed" with him because they recount what it is they "know" about him. They belittle his ability to teach because he was merely a carpenter in their eyes - a commoner of the times, not a revered religious leader. The truth be told, we do the same type of 'belittling' of each other because we have limited knowledge of someone's past behavior, responses, or the like. They could be changed people today, but we continue to base our "impression" of them on what it is we "know" about their past.

What does this do? It causes us to "trip over what LITTLE we know" about the individual - never getting any further in the relationship. The issue is not the other person - it is us. We are the ones tripping and it is over what "little" we actually know. We base our judgments on a fraction of the evidence - what we immediately see. The term "preconceive" is really made up of two roots. "Pre" speaks to us of something occurring "before" or "prior to". "Conceive" speaks to us of "forming". We are "forming" opinions prior to getting the whole truth. We sometimes do this with ourselves! We look in the mirror, remember the old self, and forget about the many new "facets" of beauty God has already worked out in our lives. We see what our mind tells us to see. This is often true in our relationships with others - we see what our mind tells us we are seeing. If we have been hurt in the past, we find it difficult to not recall the hurt today. The part of this passage I want us to see this morning is the "little" they knew about Jesus and how this "little" caused them to not be able to get beyond that point. They knew "of" his family. They knew "of" his past job - a carpenter. They knew "of" his upbringing - under Mary's watchful eye. Yet, they really did not know Jesus - the Son of God.

What we find when we look deeper than what we know "of" somebody's background, reputation, or past performance might actually surprise us. If we get beyond that immediate knowledge, we might actually find ourselves face-to-face with someone who really blesses our lives. When we focus on what know of an individual, we are linking what we perceive with the actual identity of the individual. Identity is an evolving thing - we come from certain backgrounds, but we are always evolving as we are exposed to new things. Sure, we have the background of those things we are known for - our reputation does indeed precede us. Yet, if we begin to allow Jesus to be our mirror instead of that shiny piece of glass in our bathroom, I wonder how differently we might just see ourselves and others. When we allow Jesus to reflect back what he sees in us and those around us, we might just find the "little" we know "of" another is really not how that individual is today. It would be a shame to stop at what we know "of" an individual and ourselves when what we are today is not the same as what we were then! Just sayin!

Three, but two

Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future. William Wordsworth
Life is indeed past, present, and future - what have you been doing with each of these parts, my friends? Some of us hold on so very tightly to the past, not willing to let it go, thinking we may somehow be able to change what has been. Others live so fully in the present, all the while forgetting the future will have demands of us we need to prepare for somehow. Very rarely do we get this past, present, and future thing down well in our lives, but when we do, what an amazing thing it is!

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG)

Who are we really? Many times we feel as though our past has left indelible evidence of some things we find it impossible to believe we could be free of in the present. It is as though those mistakes of the past have been woven into the fibers of who or what we are today. Did you ever stop to think through a few miracles recorded for us in the pages of the Bible? There is much to be said of the way it was and the way it is now. For example, think of the woman with the issue of blood. She was the woman with the issue - unclean by the standards set out by the Law of Moses, plagued with some form of debilitation from the unceasing flow of blood. She became the woman healed and whole! No longer defined as the unclean, but as the clean and whole. 

Why do we let our past define our present? The blind man saw again - no longer blind, he wasn't defined by his 'previous condition', but by his present one! He was a man with sight! Lazarus wasn't the corpse any longer - he was the brother of Mary and Martha, head of the household, and dear friend of Jesus. Paul was not longer the prosecutor of the Christian believers - his past was gone and his present differed by leaps and bounds. Our present doesn't have to be our defining influence. It doesn't have to be how we view ourselves, nor how others view us. It can be left where it belongs because there is something quite different in the present by which God defines us - it is called grace.

The past may leave tell-tale reminders in our lives, like those scars created when we skinned our knees, bunged our noggins, or biffed it royally. The scars don't define us - the healing does! The scar is a reminder of a former way of living - of choices made - not of choices we continue to make! The fact is that Christ in us changes our present and sets up for the future. His eye isn't on our past, it is on what he is doing in us right now, in order that we will be prepared for what he has created for us well into our future. God is a past, present, and future God - but it isn't the past he focuses on as much as it is the present and future! Why should we be any different? Just askin!

Let the past launch you into the future!

"One faces the future with one's past." Pearl S. Buck

The other day the hospice nurse was chatting with mom. They were talking about how mom feels like she is sometimes a burden - something I think most parents feel when they become a little more dependent upon their children for their daily needs. As they chatted, the nurse kindly reminded mom that I appeared to be very happy doing what it takes to keep her safe and well-cared for, then she said that maybe it was my turn to repay mom for the many times I may have been a handful for her in my younger days. While she didn't know me as a kid, she certainly had me 'pegged'! I did my share of things that put mom and dad through heartache and the simple acts I perform today to keep mom safe and well are nothing compared to those times! We all have those 'tales from the past' we'd rather like to keep hidden from view - things we are neither proud of, nor very appealing to onlookers. Yet, they are the very things that actually can launch us into greater things in our present and into our future!

The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:21-24 MSG)

This mess we get ourselves into isn't a hole we cannot escape - it is a launching pad for us into realms of grace when God does the launching! Realms of grace that we come to fully know as we are fully known and loved by him each and everyday. He fully knows us - like no other can. His grace is able to help us face our future, not based upon our past reputation and performance, but on his present ample influx of grace in our lives. It is an exchanged life - the past doesn't hold us down when it is placed in his hands - it launches us into new heights of grace-filled living.

I often go back to this very passage from Romans to re-read it - not because I don't believe it - but because I sometimes need reminders that grace HAS DONE the work in my life (and yours). The work is done - the past is just that - and the future is what I need to focus on today (not the past bumblings of my life). The impossible has happened - what I could not do for myself - getting past my past - has happened by sheer and utter grace. While I don't always forget I have a past, I no longer dwell upon it as the present reality of who I am today! I am a new creation (and so are you) - as such, we don't act upon the past, but use it as a catapult to push us into the newness of our present grace-filled life!

It was Pearl Buck who reminded us: "Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members." It isn't my past guilt that 'makes me' do the things I do for mom, but my present love of her made deeper and deeper with each passing year. In fact, the tasks may be hard at times and even become a little taxing on both strength and stamina, but they are rewarded by the even greater return of her love. We aren't bound by our past, but we can allow the experiences of our past to build into our lives a great love for the things we come to value as 'the best' in life! The moments mom poured love into my life when I was far from deserving of her love and grace only pointed out to me how God loves each of us. Grace returned for actions far from deserving of grace! That is how God operates  --  and he wants us each to realize he loved us in our 'past', and continues to love us in our present, preparing to love us in an ever-deepening manner into our future! Just sayin!

Passport stamped?

A few years after my dad passed, I was feeling a little nostalgic and I decided to go looking for our first home in Arizona. Mind you, the home was built probably somewhere in the 1940-1950 range, and we all know how things change over time. Trees get bigger, neighborhoods morph from one look and feel into another, and what may have been a 'majestic mansion' when we were little kiddos is not always the same when we return to it some 30-40 years later! I eventually found the street I was seeking, now almost unrecognizable because of the transformation of the surrounding neighborhoods. I recall knowing quite clearly the house was the second on the right, so down the lane I went and there it was, but...what a different scene than the one I remembered or imagined! The gnarled mulberry tree was there, but the branches were all cut off and it no longer spread out over the corner of the yard. The once whitewashed fence still stood, but the faded appearance told me keeping it whitewashed each year was no longer a concern of the owners. What once stood as a palatial mansion now appeared as a small, once quite quaint home. Weathered and worn, it no longer 'shown out' as the once beautiful home it was at one time. A friend once told me we can never really return home, but I didn't quite understand that advice until I stood there gazing upon my one-time family home. The thing I'd have was the memories because the present state offered no such comfort!

So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! (Romans 6:1-3 MSG)

We might think we can 'go back' to a former way of living, for just a moment in time, just for a quick little jaunt into the past. The truth is that the past is never the same as it was when we were living it! The past changes, if not in size, importance, and appearance, then in what it is we see when we come face-to-face with it again. It is an 'old country' to us - one we left behind in pursuit of another when we said "yes" to Jesus. We actually forsook that country and embraced another - not as immigrants, but as citizens who enjoy new rights, privileges, and passages. We might believe the past still has good stuff for us, but in that 'former life' are none of these 'good things' God has prepared for us to enjoy in this new one!

When I was just starting elementary school, we packed up and left that home in North Phoenix, making our way out to the very furthest point of the East Valley. The places were miles and miles apart - especially in the eyes of a child. The journey seemed long and a little bit frightening, but in truth, the new became the 'new norm' for me. Something similar happens when we come to Christ, welcoming him into our lives as more than a religious pursuit, but as one we desire close, personal relationship with. We begin to experience a 'new norm' - what once held fascination and great appeal is likely to fade more and more into the 'background' of our lives (the past). The past is indeed 'background' for our lives - no experience ever being totally without some meaning to us. Yet, we are not called to live in the 'background' of life - we are called to live in the present!

I could no more go back to living in that old family dwelling as I could go back to living a life without Christ. That boat has sailed! Those doors are closed! That old life is not my present one! The new life in a new land was prepared specifically for us - we don't need that one in the old land! There is something liberating about being able to break those ties with the past, my friends. But...there is equally something quite liberating about learning to look forward and turn our backs on what we imagine the past could offer us. The more we yearn for the past, the more we are discontent with the present, but the problem is that the present offers way different things for us than the past ever could. Way different things that make the old way of living look run-down, no longer showing signs of being tended and cared for. 

We don't 'go back' - we look and move forward. The life with Christ isn't lived one moment in the present and another in the past. Once we take that step into the new country of grace, we don't even want to look back at the old country of sin. There is nothing there that will ever satisfy us quite the same as what we find when we turn our eyes fully toward Jesus. Yes, the past still stands in our memories, but little by little, the past becomes less and less appealing to us. Maybe we need a little look into our past once in a while to see it is no longer all that appealing, but it doesn't mean we return to it - pursuing the stuff of the past! It just means we allow Jesus to make real to us where it is he has delivered us from - the past is a country no longer marked on our passport as 'home' - we are citizens of the country of grace, not sin! Just sayin!

No guarantee here

Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring. (Proverbs 27:1 ERV)

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." (Melody Beattie) 

None of us is ever guaranteed a "tomorrow" - we all have today and can do the best with today as is possible. We allow all kinds of things keep us from enjoying our "today" - including the issues of our past or the constant focus on what it is we might accomplish tomorrow. I am no different, here, for there are times when I get so "future focused" so as to miss what is right in front of me. The sad truth is that there is absolutely no guarantee there will even be that "tomorrow" I spent so much time planning for! What a shame to miss out on so much because we are not able to see what is right in front of us!

For many, their lives were changed the day the towers came down in New York. Others would never be the same because of some school shooting, rampage in some mall, or being at a concert enjoying some time with friends. None of these people woke up one morning and expected their end, or their maiming. No soldier sent off to war expects to return with body parts missing from some explosive device cleverly put in his or her path. These are not things we "plan for" in life, but they come our way, often without any real purpose or warning. The best we can do is let go of the past, focus on today with all the effort we can dedicate to it, and be cognizant of the steps we should take to be as ready as possible for tomorrow.

Today is our challenge. Yesterday may have left us with a bit of guilt over what wasn't accomplished, or how some encounter didn't go as we planned. Today is where we can start afresh with whatever it is we need to take care of in order to be rid of guilt, restored in right relationship with God and each other, and to be living with intent (purpose). We must learn to be people who make "today" our focal point and then invest wisely in the opportunities that today may afford us. They could be opportunities for relationship - those that will be discovered, made right, or set aglow in a freshness that comes from just being together and focused on each other. They could be opportunities to learn something new, or remember something learned long ago, then pass that learning onto another.

Today is what we can make the best use of, isn't it? Tomorrow may involve a little planning, but to be hyper-focused on tomorrow while losing sight of today is to be a little too tunnel-visioned. Just sayin!

The past has no cure

I have carried you since you left your mother’s womb. I carried you when you were born, and I will still be carrying you when you are old. Your hair will turn gray, and I will still carry you. I made you, and I will carry you to safety. (Isaiah 46:3-4 ERV)

There are times we just need to be reminded of God's faithfulness toward each of us - today may be one of those times for some of us. Regardless of what you are going through, if you look hard enough, you might just realize that God is the one who has been carrying you for quite some time! From moment to moment, we may forget who is at work in our lives, believing God has abandoned us on occasion simply because things get a little tougher than we would have wanted. Whenever we get to feeling like we are abandoned, we just need to look to our Creator - for the one who creates will never abandon his creation.

It was Elizabeth the First who said the past could not be cured. Too many times we go about our day's efforts trying to improve upon (or cure) what yesterday brought our way. What is past is past - what we are left with is sometimes a little bit of the aftermath of the past, but we cannot ever change the past. What we can allow to happen is for God to change us in our present so our past mishaps and misgivings don't have to be repeated. The past may not be cured, but it sure can be repeated, can't it?

The seasons of the past that weren't all that great give each of us moments of grief because we would have done things differently if we only knew the outcome was going to be what it turned out to be. We wouldn't have spoken those words that cut to the quick. We wouldn't have allowed the distance to come that is now like a cavernous abyss we see no way of crossing. We wouldn't have chosen that route of downward compromise. Those choices were made, but today's choices remain to be made. What we focus on is not the ones we made in the past, but the ones we can make in our present.

Choices made incorrectly in the past haunt us in the present and make choices today harder because we may fear repeating them or really don't know what choices will yield different results. This is when we lean into Jesus' care over our lives just a little bit harder. We stop doubting his provision and start trusting him to help us do things differently - making better choices today, not so much to cure the past, but to improve the present and make way for the future. Just sayin!

The past's place

It was Alfred Lord Tennyson who said, "Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers." He also said, "Tis not too late to seek a newer world." With all that is going on in our world today, wouldn't it be grand to seek a "newer world"? We may want to escape just a little of the present in hopes of finding a little bit better of a future - but what we have in the present cannot be ignored. We must deal with the present conflict and sorrow in order to really see change. This is a premise to change - sometimes sorrow leads us to make changes we might not ever see as necessary apart from that sorrow. As Tennyson alluded - wisdom is what lingers once the sorrow has produced the work of turning knowledge into life-change.

10 The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has will bring death. (2 Corinthians 7:10 ERV)

The Corinthian church was pretty upset over some letters they had received from the Apostle Paul, reminding them that they could not tolerate certain unholy practices within their community of believers. It seemed there were some practices just being "tolerated" - a "blind eye" being turned to them even though there was a sense or niggling these practices might just be "wrong". It can be more common than we might first imagine that we "overlook" certain things, knowing full-well they are not "holy" or "right", but for whatever reason, we tolerate them in our midst anyway. Sometimes it is "tolerated" because it makes up part of our "history". At others, it may be overlooked because it doesn't "seem to be that big of a deal". At some point, everything tolerated or overlooked has the potential to become a bigger influence in our lives than we might have imagined!

As these things might come to the surface, God isn't after us to just allow them to remain - he is asking for us to be open to the potential we might just need to deal with them - change won't happen until we do! I have said it before, but it bears repeating because I think this is a tough one for us to learn - change is inevitable, but it is also quite hard at times. Change might just mean we have deal with a little sorrow - the kind of sorrow that drives us to embrace what is not right and then deal with it once and for all (or better yet, we allow God, through his Holy Spirit, to deal with it).

Could it just be possible what some have tolerated for so long as part of their "history" might need some focus right now? History is not always "well-written", nor was it "well-rehearsed". History is what it is - sometimes good and sometimes bad. What is good, we should embrace. What isn't, we should allow God to deal with - using that sorrow as a means by which we might come to the place of embracing holiness in place of what is not. Just sayin!

Then --- Now

Did you ever stop to consider just "how" it is you overcome sin in your lives?  I bet it wouldn't be by yourself!   If we are truthful, we are spurred to consider our actions as sinful in the first place because of something we hear from another, see from the eyes of another, or just simply by seeing a different "picture" modeled in the lives of someone else.  We often have blinders where it comes to our sin - we just see what we want to see and it often takes the perspective of another to point us in the right direction.  The scripture refers to sin as something which "traps" us.  Have you ever seen something struggling to get out of a trap? It is almost impossible to get "out of" whatever it is they "got into" on their own.  The hole is too deep, the ropes too tight, or the weight too heavy which is pressing down upon us.  We actually need the hands of another, and sometimes even their ability to see clearly what needs to be done.  

You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand. (Galatians 6:2 CEV)

There is a song popular by Josh Wilson with the words, "That was then, this is now".  It is a song based upon grace - grace declaring a clear cut difference between then and now. In the scheme of things, it isn't so much the "then" which is important, but the "now".  No one helps us see the NOW clearer than someone who has "perspective".  Perspective begins first through the eyes of Jesus - because no one sees clearer than he does what will break the bonds of sin in our lives.  Yet, he never meant for us to be "free" alone - his grace involves us having others help us walk free of the bonds of sin.  Grace actually provides companions for the journey!

I have lots and lots of old photographs.  How about you?  Some of them are quite faded now because of the age of those photos.  Others are curled at the edges and a little dogeared because of the frequency they have been held, gone through, and talked about with others. Still others are kind of ignored - taken but not really "focused upon" much after taking. Some of the old photos actually act as a "memory jogger" of past events, don't they?  We see how we looked in the seventies, eighties, and so on.   We take notice of what we drove, who we hung out with, and what our homes looked like then.  In almost all of these cases, we can say "that was then, this is now".  

We don't look the same, dress the same, or even dwell in exactly the same surroundings. Even if we are in the same house as we were in a photo taken thirty years ago, the surroundings change somewhat just because of the changes of time's passage.  What we were is no longer what we are - this is the "doing" of grace in our lives.  What we used to think "mattered" may no longer be as significant to us - because perspective changes depending on where are "at" right now.  This is no more true than when we are in bondage to some sin in our lives - it changes where we are "at" and in so doing, it changes how we see things.

The view from inside a cage is much different than the perspective we have when gazing into the cage from the outside!  Sin "cages" us - limiting our movement, holding us within the bonds of the "perimeter" it establishes over our actions.  If you have ever spent much time watching a caged animal, you might notice they pace a lot - going over and over again the exact same territory they have traversed for quite some time.  Why?  They don't know to do anything else because their cage establishes the perimeter in which they exist.  They eventually don't even notice the cage because they begin to think of their cage as "their territory".  

Sin isn't too far from being like a caged animal - at first angered by the limits of the cage, but over the course of time, coming to accept this is just how it is going to be.  This is when we need the perspective of someone on the outside of the "cage".  We need the faithfulness of a friend to come alongside, helping us to see there is life "outside" of the perimeter of sin's hold in our lives.  We need each other to separate the "now" from the "then".  Grace does more than provide a way of escaping the past - it provides the helping hands to encourage us to make the full transition from the "then" into the "now" of life.  Whenever someone presents a different perspective of our sin, it may just be they are seeing our sin from the side of grace!  What better way to see it?  Just sayin!

Giving God your background

We all have a "background", don't we?  In terms of police work, every case has a background made up of evidence found at the scene of a crime, coming together to form a puzzle of pieces which eventually "fit" into a particular scenario playing out.  Within that scenario there are different players, actions, and "props".  In terms of your health, doctors and nurses seek to discover you medical history, including the history of your immediate family members, because it gives them the background on what may be the issues you will deal with or are dealing with right now.  In terms of solving a particularly tough problem in math class, you have laid up a certain foundation of truth you have come to count on to be consistent with each "equation" you must calculate. This trust in these "formulas" or "principles" form a background by which you formulate your answer to the new math problem before you.  The background of a matter gives us "foundation" upon which to understand the next object or subject in a matter presently before us.  Understanding background is important, but staying anchored to background limits progress forward!

Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.” (Romans 10:11-13 MSG)

Background is why I so often point us to the "context" of a passage we are considering - it gives us the foundation upon which we can receive the revelation of the present truth being considered.  Equally as important is this idea of staying anchored to just what we know to be the "background" of a particular truth - causing us never to grow into the areas of revelation God wants for us to experience.  Israel and the Jews were struggling with just this very thing as Paul writes to the Roman church in this letter.  He is writing this letter as the last of his writings we have within the New Testament - a letter to a church he neither founded, nor visited.  This almost explains why he takes so much time to establish facts such as who he is, what his credentials are for writing to them, etc.  It may also explain why we don't see the "personal" side of Paul writing to them - because he had never met them and could not assume anything about them.  Yet, he writes to lay a foundation - to give them background they can use to get solidly rooted and grounded in the faith.

Beginning with how the Jews were given the Law of Moses, failing to adhere well to the mandates of the Law, and developing upon the idea that the Law made it almost impossible to actually keep every letter of it, he moves with painstaking steps from their foundation as a nation (a people set apart by God the Father) to the place of Christ's death, burial and resurrection.  In the midst of this unveiling of foundational truth, he sparks this idea of salvation coming to all by the means of faith in Christ Jesus and not in the keeping of rules or performance of works.  In other words, as my pastor so aptly says, we stop working our way TO God and accept the fact he has already worked his way TO us.  To the Jew, they may have been able to accept this idea of salvation coming by faith, but it was hard for them to totally separate from their "background" of all their rule-keeping and work-performance activities. It was part of their life - defining them as a people for so many years.  In essence, they were bound to their background.

Instead of rejecting all their "background" as a people, Paul worked diligently to outline how each of the covenants made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all pointed to Christ and him as their means of salvation.  He encompasses the Law of Moses and all the teachings of their "forefathers" because he knows how anchored Israel was to their "heritage".  Establishing the fact that their heritage by natural birth did not limit, nor give them any advantage with respect to this new "spiritual birth" which was now available through faith in Christ Jesus and his finished work was what the entire letter was about.  We'd do well to remember this important fact - our natural heritage neither gives us superior advantage, nor does it limit our possibilities to experience the awesomeness of personal relationship with Jesus.  

Sometimes people want to take scripture out of context and use a passage such as this to say all "religions" are okay - since it says: It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help.  Don't get me wrong here - God reaches out for all who will call upon his name and receive his gift of salvation, BUT there is but one way to receive this gift - through Christ Jesus and his actions ON OUR BEHALF.  Any other religion which proclaims any other "background" by which we may be made right, achieve some divine status, etc., is nothing more than a philosophy or "religious pursuit" in futility.  Bold words, I know, but truth nonetheless.  The background of the context allows me to make that statement because it establishes the facts as they were outlined and it makes it perfectly clear there is no other means by which a man is saved - no amount of "doing good", "self-help", or "religious rule-keeping".  Nothing but the grace of God makes us right - redeems us and sets us in relationship with him.

We also want to remember the very important teaching of this letter - our background matters, but it isn't everything - it doesn't "define" us and we don't have to be captive to it.  We can allow grace to take the lessons of our background and make them into treasures of our present life.  This is what grace does for us - it helps us take the background and keep it in "context" with what grace is doing in our present moment.  We need this more than we think because all of us has a tendency to hold onto something in our background which anchors us and almost limits us from moving forward. When we are finally free to let go of the background and allow God define us by grace, not our background, we make monumental forward progress. Remember, we don't have to be defined by our background - we are defined by God's grace!  Just sayin!

Putting the "past" into perspective

Remembering our history might just give us a moment to pause.  Some of what may be there might just not be something we are very delighted to remember.  I think there is much to memory - most of it is pretty "okay" - but there is some of our "history" we'd all like to forget.  When it comes to our "family tree", there are probably some "Charlie Brown Christmas Trees" in the mix - you know - the ones kind of scraggly and just kind of like the ones we'd probably rather reject than own up to!  Yet, even though they don't "fit" like the rest of us, we cannot discount their importance in our family tree.  The most unlikely candidates have a place in our history - no particular action or characteristic we can deny or discount.  For all we know, they hold a place in our history just so we can look back and be warned about what could so easily entrap us in the same behavior.  In this respect, we'd do well to consider even their "negative influence" as part of a "positive influence" on us today!

Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God’s fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God’s wonder and grace didn’t seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.  The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did.  (I Corinthians 10:1-6 MSG)

Heaven knows, I was not the perfect spouse.  I certainly wasn't the "ideal" mother and my children are not the perfect offspring of a "June Clever" mom. In fact, I wasn't a perfect child myself - causing many to probably have labeled me as the "black sheep" of the family on more than one occasion.  In fact, despite my love for this country, I have not been entirely the best citizen, probably breaking a few laws here and there as it applies to speed limits, recycling rules, and the like.  To be truthful, I am not the "perfect" anything apart from Christ.  If you look back over my "history", some "chapters" don't paint the prettiest picture - but the ending is sure to delight!

Whenever I have the chance, I use the past lessons of my life to illustrate not only the protection of Christ (for he certainly kept me from some horribly messy circumstances I was pretty heck-bent on pursuing), but his tremendous grace in restoring me in those areas where hurt and harm left me a little bit like a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree".  It was that tendency within me to want my own way which gave me most of my "failure points", for any time "self" demands its own way, harm and hurt are sure to follow.  Why?  Simply because temptation plays upon the heart committed to fulfilling its own way! Learning to see the choices we make as inherent to the demands of our heart can help us avoid being defeated by temptation in our lives.

The "guard" we must maintain in our lives is more than just a watchfulness. Being watchful is good - don't get me wrong - but I have "watched" myself into some pretty tough corners at times!  It wasn't that I didn't recognize the choices I was making, but because I was only "watching" what I wanted to see, I allowed myself to block out the "other side" of the picture - the side where Christ stood clearly pointing the direction I should take.  Sometimes we call this "justifying our behavior" with our own "made-up" set of rules.  It is like saying, "This isn't totally bad", then pursuing it because it really doesn't "totally" go against what we know to be right.  The problem is the "mix" in the message - we see only what we want to see - negating the real truth of what we need to see.

History is bound to repeat itself until we learn from it.  Maybe this is why we are given the chance to "look back" on occasion.  We don't wallow in the "mully-grubs" over the past missed opportunities, but we become aware of the ways we missed the opportunities, learning to avoid those same pitfalls in the future.  Too many times we use these opportunities to look back on our past as times to drift into self-pity, self-torture, and self-condemnation.  This is not the pattern God has for considering our past.  In fact, if we "look back", it is to be through his eyes.  We are to see the past in the perspective he views it - behind us, but as a stepping stone for his grace to grow us.  I cannot emphasize this enough - we need God's perspective on our past if we are to view it as he does!

If we "look back", it is with the intention of learning.  All growth comes from grace - all grace comes as a gift of God - all God's gifts are meant for our good - all our past then is meant to help us grow into our present and prepare us for our future, but only as we perceive it through the eyes of Christ.  I don't know how you have been considering your past temptations and where they allowed you to end up, but if you want to learn from them, you must learn to see them clearly through the eyes of the one who has the "full perspective" - Christ himself.  Just sayin!