Out with the New. Back in with the Old.
“…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…” Phil. 3:13.
Paul taught the Philippians to forget their past. He did it himself, and it’s great counsel. The past can hinder us from what He intends for today and tomorrow. But, sometimes we move on from things in the past that we shouldn’t move on from. There are lessons learned and things accomplished that have much to teach us.
My spiritual formation is a daily struggle, just like it is for so many of us. I want to know Christ, but my flesh is very strong. I tend to think that it’s time to move on from practices that helped me grow in the past because I’m somehow further along than when I experienced God in that way before.
That’s wrong thinking. The greatest times in my life of spiritual growth were when I would sit down every morning with the same pattern - I’d pray for God to speak, then I’d read 1 chapter from the Old Testament, 1 Psalm or Proverb, and 1 chapter from the New Testament. You may think that’s a lot of reading, or you may think that’s not enough. I don’t know. But I do know that God used that framework for several years to help me grow. So, lately that’s what I’ve returned to.
There was some great music in the 90s and early 2000s (ugghh…that sounded really old for a second). I would drive down the road singing to the Lord with all my heart. Then, those songs got old and I quit singing them. I think I’m going home now to get out some old school Caedmon’s Call!
What spiritual practice have you “moved on from” that God may want to use again? Could be a simple prayer or a routine you used to say or do. Could be an old song that the Lord used in your life. Could be anything. Maybe it’s time to return.
