June 9. Do You Have History And HIStory?

What about your past or your history, makes your future bigger? As a leader of a team, we can benefit by knowing about the past. It holds lessons that we can use in the present, to shape the future. I have heard of mistakes being called costly before.

I think that those costs can be reclassified into investments when we use the knowledge to grow and make a bigger future. But knowing the past and living in it are two different issues. I do not think living in the past does much to help cast or obtain a bigger future.

Living there is restrictive which is why people might use the words hold onto the past. Where are you living in the past? Where might one of your team members be living in the past? Does it make sense that if team members are in those different places in their minds that it is going to be difficult to live out a bigger future.

What is the first thing you can do to help move into the present and start building a bigger future in the next seven days?

The entire chapter 7 of the book of Acts tells the story of Stephen. He is being tried by the Jewish leaders. When asked if the charges against him are true, his response is to tell of the history of Israel. He shows us by his recalling of the history that he was an intelligent man.

He could recall and share the story. If Stephen was talking about the past, his accusers were happy to listen. We might think that they were stuck in the past and wanted to keep it that way. That is not why he is being tried though. It is the addition of Christ to the story that brings his death.

Christ coming to redeem us for our sins is what changed this intelligent man’s life. Where might you want to live a stronger life with Christ? We must be able to move from what we know of the past into the present before we can move to the future. Where are you stuck?

I want to believe that we are as intelligent as Stephen was. He could move from the past to the present. What is the first thing you can do to move yourself in the next seven days?

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, the past can be a record, or it can be a teacher. We pray today that your lessons taught to us through the Bible, be brought to us in the present. May I apply them in my life to walk with you in the future. Put your commands on my heart and make our love to be lived out from it. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,