PAST

 

  Why is our past important?

 

 BIBLE READING: Genesis 49:1-28

 KEY BIBLE VERSE: Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, “Gather around me and I will tell you what is going to happen to you in the days to come.” (Genesis 49:1, )

  Our past influences our future.

 Jacob blessed each of his sons and then made a prediction about each one’s future. The way the men had lived played an important part in Jacob’s blessing and prophecy. Our past also affects our present and future. By sunrise tomorrow, our actions of today will have become part of the past. Yet they will already have begun to shape the future. What actions can you choose or avoid that will positively shape your future?

 BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 7:1-17

 KEY BIBLE VERSE: Samuel then took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer (meaning, “the Stone of Help”), for he said, “The Lord has certainly helped us!” (1 Samuel 7:12,)

 Our past can be a reminder of God’s grace.

The Israelites had great difficulty with the Philistines, but God rescued them. In response, the people set up a stone as a memorial of God’s great help and deliverance. During tough times, we may need to remember the crucial turning points in our past to help us through the present. Memorials can help us remember God’s past victories and gain confidence and strength for the present.

 BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

 KEY BIBLE VERSE: All these things happened to them as examples—as object lessons to us—to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them in these last days as the world nears its end. (1 Corinthians 10:11,)

 The past is full of helpful lessons for today.

 Today’s pressures make it easy to ignore or forget the lessons of the past. But Paul cautions us to remember the lessons the Israelites learned about God, so that we can avoid repeating their errors. The key to remembering is to study the Bible regularly so that these lessons remind us of how God wants us to live. We need not repeat their mistakes!

 

( courtesy of The Handbook of Bible Application )