Tag: Philippians 3:13-14

Light in the Last Days – Day 58

On By KateIn Devotionals, Light in the Last DaysLeave a comment

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

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.

What was the “something” that pulled Lot’s wife back? It’s a haunting question. We see a city of judgment, but she saw her family, her neighborhood and her daily life. That pull of nostalgia and regret is a human experience we all go through. However, as believers, there comes a point where we have to hit the brakes. We must stop the cycle of looking back and realize that what lies ahead is far more vital than what we’re leaving behind.

Becoming “born again” is more than a title; it’s a heart transplant. The barrier that once kept us in the dark is removed, and the Holy Spirit makes His home in our deepest selves. He immediately starts the work of pivoting our perspective, turning our “worldly to-do list” into a spiritual calling. As you reflect on your own life, ask yourself: what is currently taking priority in your heart?

Like Lot’s wife, many of us struggle with the pull of the past. If you find yourself distracted by what you left behind, you may be hindering the Spirit’s prodding to change you. Jesus made it clear: looking back while plowing makes one unfit for the Kingdom. It’s a matter of the heart; a heart not fully turned to God will eventually turn back to the world. Imagine trying to drive a tractor while staring out the rear window—you’ll never maintain a straight line. Progress requires a forward gaze. Lot’s wife wasn’t ignorant of the coming judgment, but her “last-ditch effort” to glimpse what she still loved ended in a tragic, final cost.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Live with your gaze toward the horizon, anticipating Christ’s return and our Blessed Hope in the Rapture. Don’t allow the heavy cares of this world to break your focus or pull you away from the work He has called you to do. Keep plowing; the harvest is near.

Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Paul was the ultimate exhorter. If anyone had a “good” old life to miss, it was him—he had power, respect, and position as a Pharisee. But Paul didn’t look back. He used his ministry to show the brethren that the only direction for a believer is forward and up. He traded his history for a heavenly hope.

Philippians 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,  (14)  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The world is largely unaware that, for them, this life is as good as it gets. They are living their “best life” right now. But for the born-again believer, this current life is actually the worst we will ever experience. Why? Because we know that a far greater, perfect place has been prepared for us in eternity!

John 14:1-4  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (4)  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Romans 8:18-23  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  (19)  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  (20)  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,  (21)  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  (22)  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  (23)  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Friend, unless you are born again, you cannot fully understand these verses. But to the believer, these are exciting words. They encourage us to look ahead because we know what is to come. If you are not born again, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Don’t you want to be a part of the Church when she is raptured into the clouds to meet Jesus? (1 Thessalonians 4:17) Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 58

On By KateIn Any Day Now, DevotionalsLeave a comment

(2Co 5:17)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

(Luk 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.

I have often wondered why Lot’s wife turned around to look back. What was there that would give her that overwhelming desire to do so? Was there something in her city that she regretted leaving behind? We think of Sodom and Gomorrah as morally depraved. However, Mrs. Lot was leaving her home, her friends, and everything familiar behind. Haven’t we all been through a similar situation? This is where a believer has to put on the brakes and come to a screeching halt in his/her life.

Once a person is truly born again, certain things happen to the heart. The heart (seat of man’s emotions) was once covered with a veil, if you will. After salvation, that veil is removed and the light of the Blessed Saviour’s Holy Spirit makes His dwelling there. The Holy Spirit then begins His work changing what once was a worldly priority to a spiritual priority. So where are your priorities?

Are you like Mrs. Lot where you miss some aspects of your old life? Are those things you miss distracting you from the Holy Spirit’s prodding to transform you? Jesus said in Luke 9:62 that if you put your had to the plough and look back, you’re not fit for the kingdom of God. In other words, if you hear the good news of the Gospel but your heart is not truly converted, you will look back! Think about how plowing was done. John Deere’s tractors plow through fields in no time. If the driver is looking behind him, the rows won’t be very straight, will they? The driver has to look ahead and not behind in order to achieve his goals. I dare say Mrs. Lot knew why the angels were pulling her family out of Sodom and Gomorrah. She knew her city was to be destroyed. Her last-ditch effort to look back to what she loved cost her dearly!

Keep your eyes on Jesus. Look forward to Christ’s return and our Blessed Hope of the Rapture! Don’t let the cares of this world distract you from your plowing!

(Tit 2:13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

The Apostle Paul was such an encourager and exhorter! Of all people, he had every reason to look back to the life style he had as a Pharisee. But he didn’t and spent his ministry exhorting the brethren to look forward and look up!

Php 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,  (14)  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

This lost world doesn’t even realize that they are living their best life at this moment in time. But to the born-again believer, we are living our worst moments in time because we have a greater place prepared for us!

Joh 14:1-4  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (4)  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Rom 8:18-23  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  (19)  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  (20)  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,  (21)  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  (22)  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  (23)  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Friend, unless you are born again, you cannot fully understand these verses. But to the believer, these are exciting words. They encoourage us to look ahead because we know what is to come. If you are not born again, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Don’t you want to be a part of the Church when she is raptured into the clouds to meet Jesus? (1 Thessalonians 4:17) Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!