Looking Back

You might think that believers should never look back but that they should always look forward.  I think it is important that we look forward but I think there are times that it is also so important to look back.  Think about when you first encountered the Lord or when you truly dedicated your life to the Lord, what did your life look like at that point in time?  Now compare that with where you are today, are you closer or have you drifted away in your commitment to the Lord or are you even more committed today than you were at first?

I think it is good to examine ourselves to see where we stand, have we progressed or have we digressed in our Christian walk?  There are times in our walk with the Lord that we seem to grow in leaps and bounds and other times we pick up baggage that the Lord never wanted us to get involved with and before we realize it we are on a slippery slope falling backwards.  Sometimes we let things cloud our view like materialism or our job or money or even sports or a multitude of other things that take the place of our commitment to the Lord and we lose our first love.  Sometimes we seem to be going through the motions and we may not even realize that we have left the Lord out of what we are doing and we try to accomplish our ministries or other commitments we have without Him.

This is not meant for a rebuke, it is just a reminder that these things can happen.  In the world we live in we can get so busy that we feel like we need to squeeze the Lord into a very small segment of our time and that is a tragedy and it is very harmful for us.  Remember the Lord has to come first in our lives and it is so important that we take time for Him.  In God’s Word it says, “Unless the Lord build the house, ye labor in vain that build it.”  I believe this means in our families, in our congregation and every activity that we do.  Sometimes we get our priorities messed up and instead of putting the Lord first we sort of stick Him in last place until we really need Him in some kind of emergency.

In my situation I started out really excited, spending hours in His Word, praying most of the time, I was in Bible studies and involved in all kinds of church ministries and activities and heavy in witnessing and loving and helping people.  For a time I didn’t even have a TV and I wasn’t interested in having one and things were great, I was trusting the Lord and He was providing for me and my family and I saw the Lord moving and working through my life and I was so excited.  As time went on I got into materialism and ended up getting a TV and spending hours watching it and spending less time with the Lord and all the while I was being lulled to sleep, so to speak.  The sad thing was I could purchase most anything I wanted very cheap and I started buying things I didn’t even need because they were so cheap, so I felt like I couldn’t pass up the deals.  This was the sad part, instead of trusting the Lord to provide I started trusting me to provide, a very bad idea!!  Finally through some very thematic circumstances the Lord got my attention and I had to repent and confess and ask Him to forgive me.  Now praise the Lord I am back on track trying to get closer to Him and to honor Him in all I do.

If you don’t think you can leave your first love, which should be Jesus, read Revelations 2:1-7, “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

I think this may be happening far too often and many believers don’t even realize it.  I thought I would write a reminder in case you may read this and find that you are in the same situation as I was.  Now read what Jesus said to the churches in Revelations 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

And now 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Lord’s purpose is to love us and restore us, not to condemn us and reject us.  Enough said, I hope this has been an encouragement to you!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy Amen!!