Genesis 19:25-26 “And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Our investment documents often contain the following legal caveat – “past performance is no indication of future results.” It is the fine-print of the financial industry, providing investment companies legal cover. As they entice us to purchase their products based on their dazzling past results, they are not guaranteeing that the future will be as successful as the past. That warning is true as it applies to the many facets of our lives – our successes of the past won’t automatically assure a bright future.
It is also true that past stumbles, sins, shortcomings, enticements, or distractions will necessarily doom us to future failure, especially with an all-powerful, all-loving God in the midst of our lives and on the throne of our hearts. Yet, sometimes an errant gaze locked on the past prevents us from achieving a God-ordained future. It happened to Lot’s wife, and it happened to a man who inquired to Jesus about discipleship. It happens to people all around us every day, and it can even happen in our own lives as we look backward and downward.
God directs us to carefully affix our gaze forward and upwards towards Him. We are to set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth. We are to lift up our eyes unto the hills. We are to lay aside the weights and sins that so easily beset us, and look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. It is then that we can properly and faithfully shed our past and strive towards a brighter future.
PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD LIFT UP OUR EYES UNTO THE HILLS. It is there that we will find our help from the One who made heaven and earth!
