FROG Discipleship

U-Turns That Keeps You Stuck

• Nick

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 24:01
SPEAKER_00

Welcome to Frog Discipleship. Nick here. I hope everybody's having a wonderful day. You know, I heard this yesterday, and it really made me think are the best days ahead of you or behind you? And what I mean by that is that's a question we need to ask ourselves. You know, are your best days ahead of you? Well, that's not even a question. That's a fact. Your best days are ahead of you, not behind you. And the reason why that's a fact, because if it becomes a question instead of a fact, we tend to live in the past. So if we make it a question, are my best days in front of me or behind me? What we do is we focus on our past successes and our past failures, and we allow that to define us instead of recognizing the reality of the situation, and that is that your best days are in front of you right now, not behind you. And the reason why your best days are in front of you is because today is the day that you have. Yesterday was in the past. You can't go back and redo yesterday, no matter how great or how bad it was, it's in the past. It's over. Today, the present is what is in front of you now. So in Sunday school class, a couple weeks back, we had a lady share with uh with the class what her daughter's perspective on things were. And it was simple but so profound. They went on a family outing. I don't remember exactly exactly where they went, but they were having a good time. And the little girl, she's probably around 11 or so. She's like, she told her parents, this is the best day ever. And they were excited because everybody was having a great time, and it made sense that it was the best day ever. Then the next day, they're at home, everything's normal, and they're just sitting around eating lunch. The little girl's eating a grilled cheese, and she looks at her parents again and says, This is the best day ever. And the parents were kind of like, What? You're just sitting there eating a grilled cheese sandwich. How can this be the best day ever? That's the mindset in which every one of us needs to focus on. Today is the best day ever because your best days are ahead of you, not behind you. You can't live in the past. We have to live in the present. And so I want to do is I want to take us to Romans, the book of Romans, chapter 15 today. So if you have your Bibles, you can turn to that, or if you have a Bible app, however you want to do it. But Romans chapter 15, I'm gonna I'm gonna read verses 1 through 6 so that way we get some clarity and some context. And it says, it reads, We then who are strong, ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbors for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproach of those who reproach you fell on me. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded towards one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may uh with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So there is a whole lot to unpack in this passage of Scripture. You know, so let's look, let's look at verse verse, well, let's look at verse one and two. It says, We then who are strong, okay, speaking of those who are spiritually sound in their faith. Well, what's the purpose? We are to be kingdom builders. We are to add salt and light to this world. So we who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak. We are to help come along other people and strengthen them. You can't do that in yesterday. You have to do that in the present. Those who are spiritually sound in your faith, you have a responsibility to come beside those who are in need of spiritual growth and be their mentor, be a disciple making disciples. That's your goal. So we need to come together. Let each of us, this is verse 2, let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. Leading to edification. Today, you have the opportunity to add value, not just to yourself, but to those around you. Make an impact. I do a lot of funerals as a pastor. And every funeral I ever do comes to a simple thing: a legacy. What is your legacy? What do you want to be remembered? And I've done all kinds. It can be a legacy of self-centeredness, just an arrogant individual that lived for themselves to a very godly individual, to everything in between. What do you want your legacy to be? Are you focused on your achievements and your failures in the past, or are you focused on what's taking place right now? I heard this quote. I really liked it. And it says, you didn't come this far just to come this far. You didn't come this far just to come this far. Well, if that if that quote resonates with you, you know, you didn't get to where you're at just to say, hey, I'm done, and this is the finish line. It's over. No, you came as far as you have gotten for a reason. A good friend of mine, you know, one day I need to get him on the podcast, and he needs to share his testimony with you because it's it's really good. He goes, he talks about, you know, his home life wasn't the the greatest to addiction, to drugs and alcohol, to then coming and learning a trade to that, to his sobriety, to his marriage and his kids. I mean, it is it is a wonderful testimony, and he is is a solid, strong individual, and and now is not just a good individual striving to be a strong person of faith, but to be a good husband and a good father. He's doing his absolutely best. But at any point in his journey, he could have said, Well, hey, here's the finish line. I'm done. Hey, I'm sober now, I'm done. Well, is that the finish line? Is that where you want to end? Is he my goal is I just need to get sober, I just need to get off drugs. Okay, well, now I'm sober, I'm off drugs. Now what? There's more. You still have life left, so you didn't come this far just to come this far. Many people mentally create a finish line, a finish line after failures, after disappointment, after aging, and saying, hey, I'm too old, after certain successes, saying, hey, I've achieved greatness. I'm done, right? After pain, oh my goodness, this impacted me. Uh, you know, I got in a car wreck or I lost a loved one, or whatever the case may be. You know, I broke my back. If you followed the podcast, you you my testimony was the first and second podcast. At any point, I could have sat there and created a finish line and said, hey, I'm just done, and I never would have learned to walk again, I never would have learned to run again. I could have stayed in a wheelchair, could have stayed, you know, damaged and broken, but that wasn't what that's not the finish line and where I want it to be. And now I'm in my 40s. I could have created a finish line and said, hey, this is just what this is, this is the best I'm going to ever achieve. No. My life is only half over. Lord willing, I got 40 more years to go. And if if I'm lucky, even more than that. What do I want to achieve? I didn't come this far just to come this far. My goal, my purpose is to add value to you so you can add value to others. If I can't give you what I don't have, and that's why it's telling us right here we then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak. We are to help mature one another. My whole purpose is to bring learning and edification, edification to you, you know. So I really want us to focus on that. We have to stop living like the finish line is already behind us. That we've already crossed this finish line that we have mentally created, and then just throw our hands up and say, hey, I'm done. I see this a lot in people that have retired. And they're like, hey, I've retired, I've I've done this. And their whole identity is in the occupation in which they have done for so many years that when they finally retire, they don't have an identity, they don't have a purpose, they have crossed that mentally uh created finish line, and then they're like, okay, I'm done. They don't know what to do. And so many people that I have known in my life that have retired die really short or really quickly after they retire because they got that finish line and they just give up. There's a man, I was gonna say a young man, he's anything but young. He's 92, 93 years old, still driving to church every Sunday. He can't hear hardly anything, but he still comes every week and cuts the grass at the church. 92, 93 years old. And he he does that because he's like, he's a he's a widow, his his wife passed away about 10 years ago. You know, so he could have he could have created that finish line at any point and said, hey, I'm done. But he didn't. He gets up every morning, puts his shoes on, he got the buck of his life this past uh deer season, because he realizes as soon as I say that there's a finish line, it's game over. That's why your best days are ahead of you, not behind you. You know, go to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, verses 13 and 14. As we look at this passage of scripture, it reads, brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let me read it again. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching towards the things which are ahead. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Do you understand what Paul is writing here? When he says, you know, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to the things which are ahead, he is realizing that the things in the past can prevent you from reaching your potential in the present, to be the best version of you. And guys, I have seen people make a U-turn purposely to go back to the past, to keep allowing the past to be a stumbling block. You know, if if many of these finish lines are self-imposed, you know, people stop mentally long before they stop physically. And what I mean by that is they are making a choice mentally to not be productive physically for the kingdom of God. We are not called to be idle. What is it? An idle hand is the devil's playground. That's the same. You know, so we we have to remember we're not meant to be idle. We're meant to be producers of fruit, produce good fruit, godly fruit, the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. These, the fruit of the spirit is not just meant for you. It's meant for you to grow in those areas, so therefore you can demonstrate and teach what you have learned and share with others what God has done in your life. But you're never going to do that if you think, hey, I've already crossed the finish line. I'm such and such years of age, I've retired, I've done this, or whatever the case may be, or say, hey, I'm not very smart, I don't think I can do this. Why would God choose me? Guys, I am a high school graduate. College was not for me, but here I am. God has called me to be a pastor, and I've had the privilege to minister and teach engineers, lawyers. I have taught doctors, you know, and been able to have some great, godly, intelligent conversations and teach them and help them grow spiritually and many more. I mean, CFOs, I mean, I mean, come on, high school graduate. I can easily say, well, well, who am I? I'm a nobody. That's who I am, but my God is awesome. My God is awesome that He can tell me and convince me and push me to achieve greatness, but I can't let my past failures or my past successes hinder me from living in the present, to making impacts in people's lives now. God can use you. You just have to believe that you can be used by Him. Age and hardship may slow you, but they should never stop your purpose. We have to stop creating excuses. You are still here because God is not finished with you. You are still here because God is not finished with you. So we have to forget the things behind us. Let that be in the rear view mirror, because when you look at it in the rear view mirror, it gets the further you go forward, the smaller it gets. And reach forward to those things which are ahead. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. This is Paul. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What is that goal? What is that prize? We are living this life right now here on earth for eternal glory in heaven. But even when we die, even when we cross that finish line, that finish line isn't the final finish line. That finish line goes, it moves, and we spend eternity with God in heaven. It doesn't get any greater than that. But what we are to do here, what Paul is telling us, to press towards that goal, that pride. You have a purpose. You are not called to be mediocre. God has called you for greatness. You didn't come just you didn't come this far just to come this far. You know, He can still use you because God is not finished with you. You're still here because God is not finished with you. You cannot move forward while constantly tripping over what is behind you. Whether it's emotional baggage, regret, failure, shame, bitterness, your past mistakes, it doesn't matter. Stop doing that emotional U-turn and revisiting your old pain, revisiting your old failures, revisiting those old wounds. When you revisit those old wounds, all you're doing is opening them back up again. And and just causing more pain. So let me ask you this what controls your thoughts today? Because what controls your thoughts is going to control your action. So what controls your thoughts? Because what's controlling your thoughts are going to move your action. Constant focus on your past is going to keep you stuck in the present. You're not going to be moving forward. God calls us to learn from the past not to live in it. To learn from the past not to live in it. And that's why Paul says, forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forward to the things which are ahead. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Learn from your past, don't live and stay stuck in it. What from your past are you still allowing to trip you today? What's that emotional blockage that's keeping you for being productive for Christ in today? You know, go back to Romans. I want to focus on verses four and five. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning that we, through the patience and comfort of the scripture, might have hope. Not many of God of patience and comfort. Oh, excuse me, now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded towards one another according to Christ Jesus. So let's unpack that. So, for whatever things were written before you were written for your learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the scripture, might have hope. What is God's word to you in your life today? Is this what is God's word, his character, his conduct, who he is and what he represents? Is that, are you using that for your learning, for your growth, or is it just a book that you use as a paperwork weight that is just collecting dust in your home? The Bible is meant to shape you. It is your sword. It is what is to protect you. We see in the armor of God to where everything that we are given is a defensive weapon. You know, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the feet of readiness. But then we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. If you're not studying and spending time in the Word of God, you're not learning. If you're not learning, you can't achieve and apply what is being taught in your life. Well, let me let me rephrase, you can. You're just applying in the wrong thing. Because if you're not learning from God's word, you're not applying God's principles. So if you're not learning from God, you're learning from the world. If you're not applying God's principles, you're applying the world principles. Have we forgotten that Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy? Well, well, Nick, you know, he can't take my salvation. Once saved, always saved. Absolutely. He can't take your salvation, but he can sure take your testimony. He can tell he can still destroy your legacy. He can take what people think of you and make it so small that it's like this person's a joke, to where God can, he wants you to thrive for greatness. You know, and in we we we have to understand, and I hope that you do, that your goal is not just to grow yourself, but to grow others. And you can't do that if Christ Jesus is not your hope. I have yet to ever meet a parent that when asked that, what do you do you want the best for your child? Every parent I've ever asked says, yes, I want the very best for my child. Now here's the thing. Notice how I phrased it. Every parent I've ever asked. When I ask them, they tell me one thing. But I've seen hundreds of parents that their actions and their words don't line up. Parent says, Hey, I want the best for my children. But every parent doesn't always put their children's spiritual health and well-being as a priority. You can't give what you don't have. You can't pour into others if you're not pouring into yourself. So if Christ is not your hope, if you're not learning from him, what is your hope? What is your learning? And what you don't realize is you're being stuck in the past, that finish line that you're focused on. Hey, I've already done the best I can. No. Today, today is the opportunity for you to give your very best. Give your very best to the Lord. We are to plant, we are to water, and God gives the increase. Stop focusing on the harvest. Stop focusing on the end goal, the end reward. Focused on sowing the seed, the here and now, and allow in order for God to do his work in you, you have to be doing your work in yourself. He can't give a good harvest if he doesn't have good seed sown. If you want God to truly impact your life in a great, magnificent way, spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially, you have to be giving him your very best. I just ask that you don't quit. You didn't come this far just to come this far. Keep going. Today is not the finish line. Right now is not the finish line. Now, today is the opportunity for you to give your very best to God. Yesterday's in the past, pursue God with everything you got in the present. Thank you for listening.