Luke 9:62 (NIV) Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to
the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
INTRODUCTION:
A. Satchel Paige and his good rule for living.
1. “Don’t look back, something may be gaining on you.”
2. The Bible also calls for not looking back. Luke 9:62—But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
B. Looking back hinders forward progress.
1. Looking back may be making you depressed.
2. Looking back may be bringing you defeat.
I. DON’T LOOK BACK AT SINS THAT HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN.
A. 1 John 1:7-9
B. God really does put our sins away (Psalm 103)
C. Perhaps you believe this for others, but not for yourself.
D. But God can and will forgive sins and put them away.
II. DON’T LOOK BACK AT DEFEATS THAT GET YOU DOWN.
A. All people have some defeats in their past.
B. Only those who never attempt anything are free from failing.
C. Psalm 37:23-24—The steps of a good man or ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
D. Don’t allow failing to make you feel you are a failure.
III. DON’T LOOK BACK AT THE PAST AND SEE IT BETTER THAN IT WAS.
A. Ecclesiastes 7:10—Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
B. Israel looking back to Egypt—Numbers 11:18—Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.
C. Distance lends enchantment.
D. Nostalgia is never quite honest.
E. Vance Havner: “The present is never as good as it used to be.
F. A great future beats a great past every time.
IV. DON’T LOOK BACK AT CONFLICTS THAT MAKE YOU BITTER.
A. If you rehearse old conflicts the hurt returns.
B. Rehashing things opens old wounds.
C. Even those where forgiveness has taken place will become dangerous again if you keep going over them.
D. Forget the past and get on with profitable living. 1 Peter 2:1-2— Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.
V. DON’T LOOK BACK AT OLD VICTORIES THAT MAY CAUSE YOU TO THINK YOU HAVE ARRIVED.
A. Philippians 3:12-14
B. I served the Lord with all my heart….once.
C. I was a soul winner…..once.
D. I was sold out to Christ….once.
E. What about today?
CONCLUSION:
A. Don’t look back!
B. Look up. Hebrews 12:1-2
C. Look on the fields and in caring for others you will forget the past.
D. Look ahead! The best is yet to come.
Friday 26 February 2010
Thursday 25 February 2010
'Where there is a Will, there are lots of Ways ' Silent inspiration: Punctured Tyre Repairer...
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NAILS IN THE FENCE
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.
His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day
the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.
He told his father about it
and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally
able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.
You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry,
the wound will still be there.
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Remember that friends are very rare jewels indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed;
They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they
always want to open their hearts to us.
Show your friends how much you care.
YOU
ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!
Please forgive
me if I have ever left a 'hole' in your fence.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
To those who are married, Not married and soon to be married.
When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly.
Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want
a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.
She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly,why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each
other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!
With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.
She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of
me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.
The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.
In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.
This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd
request.
I told Dew about my wife's divorce conditions.. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.
My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to
the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door... She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the
office.
On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.
On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning... This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to
me.
On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me
stronger.
She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily...
Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly;
it was just like our wedding day.
But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.
I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.
She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.
Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my
wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank, blah.. blah..blah. These create an environment conducive for happiness but
cannot give happiness in themselves.
So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy.
Do have a real happy marriage!!
Wednesday 10 February 2010
THINK ABOUT IT!!!!
The 4 Wives
There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He loved his 2nd wife too. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and pass him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, He hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away
without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.
The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the
2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"
We all have 4 wives in our lives .......
The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.
Think about it.
UNIVERSITY OF ADVERSITY
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (2 Cor. 4:8-10).
It's hard to find anyone in Christian history who became a great leader without earning an advanced degree at the University of Adversity. John Bunyan (1628-1688), the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, grew up in poverty and taught himself to read. As a young man, he struggled with
feelings of not being forgiven by God and was tortured by visions of eternal punishment. His devout wife helped him to overcome his fear, but then, while she was still in her twenties, she died of a sudden illness. In his grief, Bunyan devoted himself to preaching. The English government,nhowever, repeatedly imprisoned him for preaching without a license.
On one occasion, Bunyan was sentenced to three months in prison, but when he told the officials he intended to go on preaching, his sentence was extended to 12 years. John Bunyan experienced God's presence in a special way while he was in prison. In fact, it was in his cell that he penned his enduring classic, The Pilgrim's Progress. It's a book that could only have been written by a soul that was refined by the fires of adversity.
A. W. Tozer once wrote, "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." God has a mission for your life and mine. But before we can carry out that mission, we will often go through the boot camp of adversity. If this is where you find yourself today, ask God to give you His grace to walk through this time with you. He promised He would never leave or forsake us.
Tuesday 9 February 2010
LET IT GO!!!!!! BY T D JAKES
There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.
When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.
The Bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]
People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay.
Let them go.
And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead.
You've got to know when it's dead.
You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay.
Let them go!!
If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains............
LET IT GO!!!
If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and
see your worth.....
LET IT GO!!!
If someone has angered you.
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents
LET IT GO!!!
If you have a bad attitude.....
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......
LET IT GO!!!
If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him........
LET IT GO!!!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship.......
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves......
LET IT GO!!!
If you're feeling depressed and stressed..................
LET IT GO!!!
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying 'take your hands off of it,' then you need to.....
LET IT GO!!!
Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2009!!
LET IT GO!!!
Get Right or Get Left ... think about it, and then.
LET IT G O!!!
'The Battle is the Lord's!'
Monday 8 February 2010
I don't know many people who wouldn't say that sometimes life is hard.
Each of us struggles with our own problems, many times unknown to those
around us. We become very good at hiding the hurt and disappointment we
feel. We keep to ourselves those things that we feel others might think
are weaknesses or flaws in our lives or our characters.
Sometimes life is even more difficult than just dealing with our personal
inadequacies. Sometimes our lives are broken by others. They may hurt us
physically or emotionally, those we love may die and leave us alone. It
may be that the one we had hoped would love and protect us, doesn't! They
may ignore us or even leave us for someone else. Our lives or perhaps our
hearts are broken; damaged by some thing, some one, or some happening.
Lives can become broken in many ways, and I surely don't know or
understand all of them.
So, how do you fix a broken life? Someone put it this way, "To fix a
broken life, use the tools of the heart." Paul writing to the church in
Galatia had this to say, in Galatians 6:2, "Bear ye one another’s burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ," (KJV). A modern translation puts it
this way, "Take on yourselves one another’s troubles, and so keep the law
of Christ." (BBE) The word translated as "bear" in the Greek has a more
literal translation of, "to sustain, uphold, or support." Paul writing in
Romans 12:8 says that some people have the "gift" of being able to
encourage others. Could that be your gift?
Sometimes people will say, "I just can't do anything to serve God or His
church." Can you encourage others? Can you send cards, make calls, just
let someone know that you are thinking of them?
Paul tells us that sharing one another's burdens is keeping the law of
Christ. What law? Jesus said in John 15:12, "My command is this: Love each
other as I have loved you." (NIV) One Greek source defines this "love" as
"to delight in the relationship." You see, you are one of the "Tools of
the heart". You are God's hands here on earth!
How do you fix a broken or damaged life? You do what you can and use what
you have to minister to, encourage, lift up, help, or bear burdens for
others!
Maybe you are one who has a broken or damaged life. Maybe you are
struggling, because you don't think that anyone really understands or can
make it better. You may be right when you look at our meager attempts as
fellow human beings to help you. We may not be able to understand enough,
we may not be able to take away the hurt, but we have the promise that
there is one who can. We have one who can feel and understand no matter
what has broken us. The writer of Hebrews draws an encouraging picture
with his words of the one who can understand and lift us up when no one
else can. "Having then a great high priest, who has made his way through
the heavens, even Jesus the Son of God, let us be strong in our faith. For
we have not a high priest who is not able to be touched by the feelings of
our feeble flesh; but we have one who has been tested in all points as we
ourselves are tested, but without sin. Then let us come near to the seat
of grace without fear, so that mercy may be given to us, and we may get
grace for our help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16, BBE)
Are you struggling with a broken life? You have three choices that I can
see.
Try to struggle through it all by yourself and deal with the pain, heartache or loss by yourself
Share with others of like faith and let them help lift the burden.
Come near the seat of Grace, (Jesus Christ) and get help in our time of need."
My prayer is that God will grant you Wisdom, Grace and Peace!
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