Many of you will remember the film contradictorily called Back to the Future where the hero after time travelling to 1955 must return to 1985, the year in which he lives.
Through a DeLorean car he returns having learned much about the history of the town he lives in, his family and therefore how his present day of 1985 was formed. When I thought about this film, I could see correlations with God’s ways, only in reverse, our future is determined by going back to the past.
Through a revelation I began to see that God’s Word, the Bible, is still very active today compared to my original thinking, like many, that it was a book about Christian righteousness with a historical setting. My thoughts had been strengthened through church services where needs were always prayed for God to solve, accompanied by I felt a hope often more secular than spiritual which I have also been guilty of.
However, for all Christians our present prayers don’t affect our future anywhere near as much as the past where everything has been done, and this is why we need to go back to the past to find the answer for both our present and future needs! One way of appreciating the reality of the past is through our testimony as an example, many will start at when they came to Christ, but this incredible event is only made possible by at least 3 other events that preceded it.
The first is in Ephesians 1 v 4 where we are told that our names were chosen in Him before creation, the second is that in Genesis God created the world and humanity which ultimately included you and me. Then the third, is Jesus dying on the cross and His subsequent resurrection allowing us to be the righteousness of God through our confession of Him as our saviour. An opposing view to these points could be that our testimony starts at our conversion, but doesn’t this contradict 2 points? The first is that apart from being chosen we were then predestined (Eph 1 v 4) and the second is that to grow something spiritually a root must be present. This is where the previous points made come to the fore, spiritually, we cannot be born again without God having made it possible for us personally.
Continuing the theme of going back to the past which shapes both our today and tomorrow consider when God finished creation He rested, but not by putting His feet up (as we might!) but as in everything was done that needed to be done for humanity and therefore catered for including Jesus coming as the Son of Man to provide the solution to the world’s greatest calamity, the fall.
Therefore, God has already catered for our every need (NKJV version) before it arises (Phil 4 v 19), spot the difference between the NKJV and the NIV version? It’s not needs as in the NIV but need in the New King James, thereby indicating that God had dealt with all our need in totality, not our needs as they arise. Plus, Jesus 2000 years ago took the consequences of our sin, namely sickness and disease when on the cross (See, Isaiah 52 v 14, Isaiah 53 v 5- -Matthew 8 v 17 and 1 Peter 2 24); Further, In Ephesians 1 v 3 we have (past tense) every spiritual blessing in Christ and lastly we can do (past and present not future tense) all things through Christ that strengthens us.
All these benefits are curtesy of what God has done for us, so for the best present and future let’s rely on going back to ther past which explains and deals with all that we will need both for our today and tomorrow.
We don’t need a DeLorean, only a bible and faith.
With all blessings
Tony
PS This blog is normally updated each Monday.