[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Monday, January 7, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good morning, afternoon or evening wherever you happen to reside.  I hope that your day is going well.  I only use the words "good Night" because here in North America it's evening, and I realize that there are people here who are in different times of day.

We have for your reading and listening pleasure a somewhat lengthy article by the late Dr. Ralph Montanus entitled "The Secret of a New Year," rendered as follows:

As we stand on the threshold of another year, I am reminded anew of God's sovereignty in permitting man to have the ability of looking into three directions at the same time.  We are capable of viewing the past, experiencing the present, and hopefully looking into the future.  In relation to the past, there is absolutely nothing we can do to change or alter the failures or successes of the past.  All the yesterdays and yesteryears are behind us, never to be relived again.  How glorious it is to know that, as we confess our past sins, God does not only forgive them, but He tells us in His Word that he forgets them! We must also learn to forget.  The great apostle Paul said in Phil. 3:13-14:  "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." What a remarkable statement!

Let's take this verse apart for just a little while.  I want you to notice this expression, "this one thing I do." Evidently, one of the outstanding characteristics of the apostle Paul was to learn to forget.  When he said, "this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind...." he did exactly that.  How many Christians have come to a standstill in their Christian life because they have permitted themselves to listen to the old skeletons being rattled in the closet of memory! Occasionally, you will meet a Christian who continues to live in the past.  He is always reminding himself of his past failures; he is confessing the same old sins again and again and again.  I believe that this is one of the tricks of Satan himself to remind us of past failures.  The apostle Paul knew this and, therefore, he confessed his past failures and then forgot them.  If you have sinned against the Lord, confess it, forsake it, and forget it.  God tells us that, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  He informs us also that, when we confess our sins, He puts them as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us any longer.  God has forgiven us, God has forgotten the past, and how dare we continue to meditate on our past failures.  I do not know of anything that can rob a child of God of his victories, abilities, and his influence for Christ as that of dwelling upon past failures.  We have all failed the Lord.  None of us can boast of our righteousness or of our own abilities.  Therefore, let us determine that where we have failed God, we will promptly admit it, ask for forgiveness, and then do what God said He did, namely, forget it.

Now, there is a subtle danger that we must be very alert and aware of.  It appears that, if Satan cannot rob the child of God of greater exploits for Jesus Christ by reminding him of the past, then Satan will try another tactic, and that is to have the child of God reflect upon past victories.  The apostle Paul knew that glorying in past victories would become just as dangerous as being defeated through past failures.  Therefore, I believe that he did not only forget his past failures after having confessed them to God, but he also forgot his past victories lest he should become so taken up with the past that he would become neglectful in the present and less usable in the future.  If Satan cannot get you to brood over your past failures, then he will come and pat you on the back saying, "You are doing just fine.  Why, look at the souls you have won to Christ.  Look what a great job you have done for the Lord," and he will point out specific things and have you take pride in them.  How many Christians are still glorying in what they used to do and how they used to be used years ago.  I believe that there are those Christians today who again and again will testify about experiences that took place ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago.  They are so taken up with themselves as to what they used to be, and how they used to pray, and how God used to use them that they are completely oblivious to the fact that they are not currently being used at all.  The apostle Paul knew this and he learned to forget both his past failures, as well as his past victories.  If God used him yesterday to win one soul for Christ, he was out today to win two.  If he won two souls today for Christ, he was out tomorrow to win three.  He never questioned God's ability to forget his past failures, and he never questioned God's ability to give him greater victories in the future than any he ever achieved through God's grace in the past.

I am of the opinion that most of us ought to plan our day wisely.  After all, we do only have this day.  Have you ever thought of making a daily schedule? By making a daily schedule, it will save you from rush and indecision.  If everything is kept within the daily schedule, an outline will be helpful.  Let me illustrate what I mean.  First of all, as we view our day, it is well to set a time to rise.  This, of course, will develop in relation to obligations, work, etc.  Let's say that we rise at 6:00 a.m.  Put this on your schedule: rise at 6:00 a.m.  Then let's calculate that first hour and how we will use it.  Some will use it in worship, 6-7 a.m., Bible reading and prayer, or perhaps it might be wiser to to first wash and dress and have breakfast.  Maybe this is how you will use your first hour, in worship and prayer, going off to work, or doing whatever other chores may be yours to do.  Name them in your schedule; tru tp evaluate the time you will use for each day.  Endeavor to keep within your time schedule as nearly as possible.  Remember, you can only do one thing at a time, just one thing.  Don't try to do two or three things at once; you will become confused, rattled, and unusable.  After having fulfilled that one task, then take the next task in order, doing it to the best of your ability and doing it unto the Lord.  You could outline your day, hour by hour, from the time you rise in the morning until you retire at night.  Schedules will differ, and the time spent on various items will differ, but let us be sure that we do not trifle away our time on needless pursuits and unimportant events.  The wise use of time is most essential because the believer should evaluate his day in the light of eternity.  Living each day with eternity's values in view will become interesting, challenging, and blessed.  Remember, in your daily schedule, prayer and Bible study in the morning, prayer at noontime and, of course, before retiring, as well.

You will notice Paul's attitude toward the future.  After he determines to do one thing, namely, forgetting those things which are behind, in this wise decision he says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." You can see from this that Paul's attitude toward the future was one of exalting the Lord Jesus Christ, and whatever he did in word and deed, he endeavored to do in the name of the Lord Jesus.  With the high call of God ever before him, knowing that, when all our life is over and all our work on earth is done, there was a reward awaiting him.  There was that prize that he sought, even like the man who begins in the race keeps his eye upon the goal and endeavors to finish first.  Paul did not want to live a mediocre Christian life; he wanted to live a radiant, zealous, enthusiastic Christian life.  He did not want to live such a life some days of the week, but all the days of each week.  He did not want to experience victories some weeks out of the month, but all the weeks out of the month.  He did not want his good months and his poor months and his mediocre months; he wanted every month to be one in which he lived enthusiastically unto the Lord.

Speaking of enthusiasm, how is your enthusiasm, Christian? Do you begin the day saying, "Ho hum, another day; I wonder if I will ever be able to drag through the day?" Do you rise each day with enthusiasm saying, "Praise God, here's another day that the Lord hath made.  I am going to rejoice in it.  I am going to praise God in it; I am going to make this day count to the glory of God." I think this is why, in our morning worship or quiet time, we ought to spend a period of it in praising God, thanking Him for all of His manifold blessings.  I think it is good to get our souls so in tune with God at the beginning of the day so that the enthusiasm of living for God will not wear off no matter how difficult the battle becomes.

I trust that each one of you will have a most blessed and prosperous new year.  I trust that you will endeavor to live just one day at a time but that that day will be lived that, when you view it in the end, it will not be wasted, but it will count in time for God so that it will bring reward and the "well done" of our Lord in eternity.

And there you have Dr. Montanus' article.  Even though it was somewhat lengthy, I hope it gave you food for thought.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your friend and brother in Christ, Paul