"The Present Past"

Too many live haunting lives of their past in the present. I see it all the time. They seem to be stifled in the present because of their past. Their fears and struggle in certain situations they blame because of something in their past. Marriages are ruined because of someone living in their past. Children are not trained in the instruction and discipline of the Lord because a parent (or both) had something so difficult in their past that was molding their present thinking vowing to not have that done to their children. (In fact, their children end up worse off in many cases as the result.)

Here is Paul, the apostle we read about that took so much for the name of the Lord. Look at his past. His zeal for the Lord, his great education and a list of accomplishments most people would be proud to hold. But there was one thing we seem to miss. He was personally responsible for the loss of families and others because he had them jailed or killed because of Christ. Can you imagine after his conversion, standing up among the people of God to proclaim Jesus and Him crucified only to hear afterward, "Why did you haul my mom and dad off to jail and have them killed for Christ?" I know those words aren't penned but there had to be some of that. Paul saw himself as a blasphemer, persecutor and violent aggressor (I Tim. 1:13). But there is one little note, one little word: "formerly".

How could Paul overcome such a past and look people in the eyes that he had personally hurt their loved ones? He was Christ's and Christ was his! Understanding the change, the newness of life that came to him as a result of his union with Jesus (Rom. 6). The old things were dead, buried and new things had come. The reality of being in Jesus was held to and it meant every thing to him.

Today, many in Christ turn to the world for counsel and what do they do? Dig up the past. Let's talk about your youth, your family and push you behavior on that. I know many have been hurt by past but that's the point, the past continues to live in the present. We believe it to be so and that's why we walk so wounded the rest of our lives. When one enters Christ, the past is buried! Why can't we believe that? To go back and dig it all up means a person must go back under their death in sin. We are in Christ. We have a new Master and new life from God. Why can't we grasp that and live right there right now?

Here was Paul's answer to his past: "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead."  (Phil. 3:13) The power of the Lord is real and life changing if we would only grab hold of the Lord!