May 3, 2007
PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 5:42 pm
What Was It Like For You?
"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14
Back in the days when the settlers were moving to the West, a wise man stood on a hill outside a new Western town. As the settlers came from the East, the wise man was the first person they met before coming to the settlement. They asked eagerly what the people of the town were like.
He answered them with a question: "What were the people like in the town you just left?"
Some said, "The town we came from was wicked. The people were rude gossips who took advantage of innocent people. It was filled with thieves and liars."
The wise man answered, "This town is the same as the one you left."
They thanked the man for saving them from the trouble they had just come out of. They then moved on further west.
Then another group of settlers arrived and asked the same question: "What is this town like?"
The wise man asked again, "What was the town like where you came from?" . These responded, "It was wonderful! We had dear friends. Everyone looked out for the others' interest. There was never any lack because all cared for one another. If someone had a big project, the entire community gathered to help. It was a hard decision to leave, but we felt compelled to make way for future generations by going west as pioneers."
The wise old man said to them exactly what he had said to the other group: "This town is the same as the one you left."
These people responded with joy, "Let's settle here!"
How they viewed their past relations was their scope for their future ones.
Prayer: Ask God to help you to not let your past paint your future.
"Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' You do not move ahead by constantly looking in a rear view mirror. The past is a rudder to guide you, not an anchor to drag you. We must learn from the past but not live in the past."
~Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe
"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14
Back in the days when the settlers were moving to the West, a wise man stood on a hill outside a new Western town. As the settlers came from the East, the wise man was the first person they met before coming to the settlement. They asked eagerly what the people of the town were like.
He answered them with a question: "What were the people like in the town you just left?"
Some said, "The town we came from was wicked. The people were rude gossips who took advantage of innocent people. It was filled with thieves and liars."
The wise man answered, "This town is the same as the one you left."
They thanked the man for saving them from the trouble they had just come out of. They then moved on further west.
Then another group of settlers arrived and asked the same question: "What is this town like?"
The wise man asked again, "What was the town like where you came from?" . These responded, "It was wonderful! We had dear friends. Everyone looked out for the others' interest. There was never any lack because all cared for one another. If someone had a big project, the entire community gathered to help. It was a hard decision to leave, but we felt compelled to make way for future generations by going west as pioneers."
The wise old man said to them exactly what he had said to the other group: "This town is the same as the one you left."
These people responded with joy, "Let's settle here!"
How they viewed their past relations was their scope for their future ones.
Prayer: Ask God to help you to not let your past paint your future.
"Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' You do not move ahead by constantly looking in a rear view mirror. The past is a rudder to guide you, not an anchor to drag you. We must learn from the past but not live in the past."
~Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe