A FUTURE HOPE

Lamentations 1:7 “In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old.”

Have you ever had one of those days where you wanted so badly for it to just be over? Because you knew that tomorrow had to be better. Because there’s just no way that any two days could ever be this bad.

It’s been said that mankind tends to live on one of three levels. The first level is survival. For some, this survival is literal. They are poor and destitute, and they must spend every waking moment trying to make it through another day. For others, survival means making it to another weekend. Their struggle is simply to exist. But it’s really not much of an existence. The second level is success. Some people live to make it big. To get a big salary, a big car, and a big house. But nothing they get ever brings the satisfaction that they thought it would and there’s always something bigger and better just out of reach. The third level of living goes beyond survival and beyond success. And that is the level of significance. Living a life of significance depends on finding and following God’s purpose for your life - your divine destiny.

The people who have the highest impact are not the most educated, or the wealthiest, or even the most powerful. The people that make the biggest difference and find the most fulfillment in life are those with the clearest sense of God’s purpose for their lives. God has a plan for each and every one of our lives. We must grasp the fact that we’re all called to fit into the kingdom of God in different capacities and facilitate the working of the will of God in the earth.

But it’s easy to lose sight of this in the daily grind. The devil tries to divert us, the world tries to distract us, and our own flesh just wants immediate gratification. None of which are conducive to being who God wants you to be. If we are to live at that desired level of significance we must:

LET GO OF THE PAST

Have you ever met someone that’s stuck in their past? Whether it’s good or bad, they just can’t seem to get over it? Maybe it was some tragedy - “I just can’t forgive myself.” “I know my parents divorce was my fault.” Maybe it is some past glory - “I was the Homecoming Queen.” But how many know that if you’re going to live a happy, quasi-normal life, you’re going to have to let go of your past. Especially as a Christian. And I’m not talking about forgetting where you came from but about putting your past in proper perspective. You can’t dwell there and you can’t go back. Relish the fond memories, learn from past mistakes, and allow God to heal past hurts. Let it go. Because until you’re willing to let go of your past you’ll never be able to move on into what God has for your life.

DON’T JUST LIVE FOR THE MOMENT

We can get so stuck in the here and now, living for the moment, with no thought of the future. No thought that there are consequences to their actions. No thought of how their decisions are going to pan out down the road and how those decisions will affect their life and the lives of those around them. This is a self-centered age.

It’s a whole different ballgame when your hearts into it and you see things from a proper perspective, isn’t it. That’s what God is looking for from us. To live for him today while living for the future hope that he has promised.

LIVE WITH HOPE FOR TOMORROW

Hebrews 11:13-14 says “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.”

In this case, the end really does justify the means. You can’t let anything stand in your way. You must do anything necessary to get to where you need to be. You must cut off any relation that hinders your destiny. Break any ungodly habit. Deny any unwholesome affection. Relinquish anything that captivates your dedication.

Does this mean that we have to pine away our days as spiritual robots? Not at all. It’s all about priorities. God must be first and foremost in your life. And his destiny for you must take priority. The sobering truth is that every area you refuse to surrender to the will of God, you allow to dictate your destiny.

What is it that captivates your heart? Be it God or earthly treasure… fame or fortune… material or spiritual… temporal or eternal… know this… it dictates your destiny.