Week Eleven, 2019
NEVER LOOK BACK
By Florida Senator John Grant (Retired)
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” —Philippians 3:1
Recently Alex Honnold made “the ultimate climb” …… without a rope. His stunning climb up the 3,000 foot granite wall known as El Capitan came after meticulous planning and training. He clung to the side of the granite wall with nothing more than the tips of his fingers and two thin edges of shoe rubber.
He attempted to do something that professional rock climbers have long thought was impossible—a “free solo” ascent of the world’s most iconic cliff. That means he was alone and climbing without a rope as he inched his way up more than half a mile of sheer rock. He made it to the top in less than four hours.
His press interview after the climb was informative and interesting, but the one thing that hit me was when he spoke of the dangers, one of the greatest being to look down to where he had climbed. Never look back. It’s a killer.
Paul in writing to the church at Philippi cautioned the fellowship about looking back. He said to forget the past and focus on the future. Jesus said that no one with a hand on his plow is fit for the kingdom if he looks back.
In life looking back is not going to help you. We have to look forward. We can cry over spilled milk or we can look for another cow. The longer we keep looking back in the rearview mirror it takes away from what is moving forward. Never look back; nothing ever changes there. Don’t look back because you are not going that way.
The next time Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Through prayer and spiritual growth, we can more easily put our past behind us and move forward to achieve the great things God has planned for us. Isaiah (43:18) tells us through prayer and spiritual growth, we can more easily put our past behind us and move forward to achieve the great things God has planned for us.
All of us have had bad things happen in our past that we would like to go back and change – some because of outright mistakes that we made (“poor choices”) and some due to circumstances beyond our control. Regardless of the reasons why, we have a tendency to look back, reflect on these difficult moments and wish that things had been different. Sometimes, this “rear view” thinking can weigh so heavily on our feelings that it interferes with our current choices and our ability to effectively move on with our lives.
Like the rock climber, if we look back we are likely to fall and get snared into the sins of our past. Look ahead and see what great things God has in store for us and when we finish this great climb of life there is glory for us waiting at the top.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Araprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence is unexpected. Winston Churchill loved them.
Some examples:
1. Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.
2. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
3. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
4. War does not determine who is right – only who is left.
5. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
6. They begin the evening news with ‘Good Evening,’ then proceed to tell you why it isn’t
7. To steal ideas from someone is plagiarism. To steal from many is called research.
8. In filling in an application, where it says, ‘In case of emergency’, notify: I put ‘DOCTOR.’
9. I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
10. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they look sexy.
11. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
12. A clear conscience is the sign of a bad memory.
13. I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure.
14. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. Nor is there any future in it.
15. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
16. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
17. I am not arguing with you, I am explaining why you are wrong.
18. Finally: I’m supposed to respect my elders, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one now.
— o —
When people die, it is said that they turn to dust. That is why I do not dust because I might be disturbing someone I know.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Our God Is Able To Do Far More Abundantly Beyond All That We Ask
Bring your most daring petition, bring your most impossible requests, add others to them; let the whole church join together in their wildest desires and demands. There is no danger of exceeding the limits, His power is beyond all that we can ever ask. Martyn Lloyd Jones
God in His sovereignty has chosen to accomplish His mission through His church as they give, pray, love, serve, and go.
What God is Doing Through Us Is Not About Us, It’s Bigger Than Us And About the Glory of God. Ken Whitten
By 2025 machines could be working and performing 52% of office tasks – Time
Complacency is a killer in politics.