"Don't let the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of tomorrow. Live for today."
Nandina Morris
Everybody's yesterdays have a shadow or two in them. It is inevitable first because of our fallen nature and secondly because we all have a personal enemy, just as we have a personal saviour. Jesus said: "The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Notice the battle that is ongoing for you and me. It is a battle between good and evil. Satan has set out from the very moment of our conception to make sure that the life we have is one that is broken, hurting and held captive. He uses three ways to rob us of the full life God intended for us. He does it by the circumstances of life that are beyond anyone's control. He does it by the sins of others and he even uses our own reactions and rebellions that come out of our fallen nature. God knew our desperate plight as human beings and so he sent his only son to restore to us the abundant life he had originally planned. But how, you might say, does Jesus restore what has been stolen? It is, of course, a miracle.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming messiah in these terms:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
If you are letting the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of today and tomorrow Jesus is the answer. If you don't know how to make that a reality then maybe your pastor can help. Have a blessed day.
Thanks, I had a time in my life when I lived like that and a friend gave me,
ReplyDeleteLuke 9:62 "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is worthy for the Kingdom of God".
That helped a lot, because looking back my thoughts and life pattern would mess me up, but keeping my thoughts on Truth helped me more.