“Don’t look back unless you plan on going that way” may sound like a clever saying, but it is not practical since it is not possible to go backward in life. Another saying on this same subject is “No one can walk backward into the future.” This one is true.
It can be useful to reflect upon the past, to learn from the victories and mistakes of others, so that we can face the future armed with that information. This is surely why Paul told us that “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
It is amazing how few learn from the mistakes of others. We remember Daniel’s remarks to King Belshazzar when he came to interpret the handwriting on the wall. Daniel, in reminding the king concerning Nebuchadnezzar, said, “Thou his son, 0 Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this.” Daniel was rebuking him. Evidently the king had forgotten how God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar when his heart was lifted up in pride. Daniel then tells the king that “thou hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven…and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.” The king was slain only hours later.
Are we wise enough while studying the scriptures to learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before? We cannot relive the past; we can only look back, learn valuable lessons and face the future with greater wisdom. Paul said, “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 in Christ Jesus.”
We should have the kingdom as a clear-cut goal etched into our minds or we will likely fail to attain the reward. A pilot files a flight plan and sets his instruments to take him to his destination. We must not simply drift through life — we are kingdom-bound. The Bible is our guidebook; our flight plan, as it were. We must consult it regularly and keep our minds focused as we press on toward the goal of the kingdom.
A pilot who ignores his flight plan and regularly veers off course to see what’s on the other side of the mountain is in danger of running out of fuel or crashing. Many seem to do this in life. They become easily distracted from their goals and often find themselves hopelessly lost in unknown places.
Each morning we need to ask ourselves: “Will my plans for today bring me closer to the Lord or take me away from Him?” The Psalmist described a dangerous time in his life when “My feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.” Fortunately he came to his senses. Not until he turned to God did he correct course. He declared, “Thou hast Holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”
Let us then set our sights firmly on the kingdom, armed with scriptural examples and declare with Paul: “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One