Looking Back

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

I have a flare for nostalgia. Events and people in our past always seem more special with time in-between. In the moments we are reminded of such things, our mind transports us to a fuzzy cornered memory that often warms our humanity. There is something in us that longs to look back.

The gospel of faith is no different. When we first are drawn to Christ, there is a certain vibrancy filled with passion. Everything is new as God makes himself real in our life. With time though, we lose sight of our first love. Like with many events in life, we look back with fondness shaded with sadness that we may never be there again. Paul would remind us of our active, daily faith. With each sunrise, we meet Jesus again. Man has yet to exhaust the depths of God. He has no boundary or limit and therefore we expect to meet with Him in a fresh way. “you are being saved,” is a never ending ordeal. Daily we cast aside ego and preference in seek of His humility and direction. This process of sanctification is how we are turned into the image of the Father. Shaped and molded into something greater, we must not quit on the process. To live faithfully means to fight against the temptation to settle. Like many things, faith is either forward marching or backwards sliding.

So today we remember. We think back of the time we first believed and the passion we were met with. We are reminded of dreams we crazily believed when the God of the universe pulled us into His family. Today could very likely mean struggle. The next 24 hours are sure to give you reason to fight or surrender. Meet this opportunity with a holy nostalgia. When you can’t go forward, look back.

Father, remind us today of your great plan. Remind us of how you intervened in the most unlikely of ways. Ignite that love we had at conversion and may we never get over Jesus.