Time To Move On

Php 3:13-14 NIV Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We had, what I believe to be, a pivotal moment in our church this weekend. We celebrated two major mile stones, one pointing to the past and the other pointing to the future. First we celebrated our 80th anniversary as a church. We recalled the many things the founding of the church and those who were a part of that. We also reviewed the building of our current facility over 20 years ago and the trials and triumphs associated with that. It was fun to look at the old pictures, hear the stories from those who were there, back in the day. It was good to see how God had led those who have been involved over the years. But, we can't live in the past.

The second big event of the weekend was the symbolic burning of our mortgage. We were blessed by a substantial, unexpected, sum of money and it was used to pay most of our mortgage and we were able to gather the remaining balance in just a couple of months. The arrival of this money was absolutely a God thing! With the payoff of the mortgage comes freedom, with freedom comes choice, and with choice comes responsibility. We were faced with the knowledge that God had given us freedom and it is our responsibility to exercise that freedom for the Glory of God and the mission He has outlined for us. In short, we have no more excuses for not moving forward for the Kingdom of God!

What is true for the church is also true for the believer. Whatever we feel about our past, whether it be pride, shame, regret, or a combination of these three, we need to lay our feelings aside, take up our cross, and move forward. It is when we are constantly looking to the past that we often stumble because we do not see our path clearly as our focus is rearward. If we are moving forward to meet the challenges head on then we are more confident of our footing. According to the scriptures, when we accept Christ as our savior we are a new creation, the things in our past no longer have a hold on us, the future can place no restraint on us, so, deal with the pain or pride of the past and then move forward!

But then, what do I know, I'm just a rodeo clown!