Here's Something Worth Forgetting, Part 3

Hi, this is Dave Spiker reminding you that tomorrow on New Year's Eve, Insight for Living closes the books on another ministry year. To give your special year-end donation right now, go to insight.org.

Or if you're listening in the United States, call 1-800-772-8888. After the kind of year we've been through, it would be very tempting to drag our painful memories about 2020 into the new year. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll urges us to refrain from doing so. His conviction is based on Paul's letter to the Philippians, when in the third chapter of his letter, the apostle wrote, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on. As we listen today, let's accept God's invitation to leave the unpleasant memories of yesteryear behind. Chuck titled today's message, Here's Something Worth Forgetting. As you move from an old year, turn the page to a new year, you stop. Leave back there the things that no longer have any business taking your time, draining your energy, getting your attention.

If you are not careful, you will bring them right with you into the new year, and you'll live as miserably as you have ended this past year. And the apostle is saying, here's a way to stop that. The apostle offers what I see as five guidelines in the words that follow that are for us as well.

Here's the first of five. God's plan is progress, not perfection. Leave all of your perfectionism for last year, for this old year. It's not about perfection. The apostle is not pushing for perfection. The only perfection he has is the kind of perfection he has in the righteousness of Christ. That's a perfect righteousness, and it's come as a gift.

He's not earning it. So it's not about perfection, it's about progress. Here's the second. The past is over. Leave it behind. Forgetting the past. It's the way things were, not the way God has them for you in the future. Don't try to relive what was as you press on into the new year.

You couldn't if you try. Press on in Christ in this new calling he has for you. The past is over, so leave it. Here's the third. The future offers fresh hope.

Look forward to it. That's how he puts it. Press on to reach the end of the race to receive the heavenly prize.

Here's the fourth. The secret is a determined attitude. Maintain that. I will. I'm determined to do that. How easy it would be for me to rest on my laurels. I got a lot of laurels to rest on, believe me, after all these years. How easy it would be for me to just hang on to that. No thanks.

No thanks. The future gives me and you an opportunity to press on into new ventures, new directions, new surprises, new opportunities. And for some of you, new careers, new places to live, new challenges that you embrace. Forgive me if this is too harsh, but perhaps in this old year you have lost your mate. Can't imagine the grief that accompanies that. But to live in that loss does you no favors in your future. You must get past and get through that grief in order to press on into a future that has a purpose and meaning. And you can do it. Others have done it. I spoke to one this morning who spoke of her losing her husband after a brief bout with cancer.

That was a few years ago. She presses on. She lives her life. She sits among us today. You would not be able to point her out as one who is lost in grief. She's worked through it.

You can too. Perhaps the old year was a year of depression, despondency, where you lost many things. Maybe you were watching the one that's meant the most to you in your life slowly die. That is the past. That is the way they were. In God's providence, who knows his plan?

Obviously for your loved one, it is for that one ultimately to be taken home to be with him in his time to use you to encourage until then. And then once that's done, you press on. You don't live in the memory of the way it was. If you do, your future is doomed.

You have no future. You only have the past to relive. Some wise man has written that the past is a prologue to the future. It's the introduction to the rest of your life.

How exciting is that? And it takes that kind of determination and maintaining it for that to happen, which is why I took your time to hear the story of Demosthenes. Finally, the commitment is ongoing. Stay at it.

I promise you I will. I promise you in this future that's upon us, I step into it with great delight. I look forward to doing a section out of the letter to the Romans as it relates to living the Christian life in this culture in which we live. We'll talk about how we do that and the process involved in it. New study, new truths, new ways to live and ways to put our lives together so that they count.

They mean something. There's excitement in that kind of future. So let's together press on, starting today. Don't even wait until the new year comes.

Start today before it has arrived and press on to reach the end of the race, receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us. This past year has been quite an experience for Cynthia and me. If you'll pardon the personal illustration.

In fact, I'll give it whether you pardon it or not. She went through arthroscopic surgery. We thought that would fix the knee. And because of arthritis, there's nothing in arthroscopic surgery that removes arthritis. I thought of it as arthritis surgery.

Maybe it'll take that out. But the doc told me afterwards actually that the joint is filled with arthritis. I wanted to say, well, how come you didn't tell me to start with? But I didn't do that.

I kept my cool. I said, so what's next? Well, we're looking at a brand new knee.

Okay, that's fun. At our age, let's take on a new knee. He said, don't worry. I've got a patient that's 87 years old. She's doing great. I said, Cynthia, you're a young chick.

We can do this together. So she goes under the knife again and she gets a brand new knee. She's walking around with far more expensive metal than we've ever owned. Well, we actually own this.

It's titanium. And she's got a brand new joint and we're moving on. And the good thing is he got rid of all the arthritis from the old knee. So we've got a new beginning. And you know what? I've had a lot of time to sit and think. She's had a lot of time to eat my cooking. That's why her time has been more miserable than mine.

Because she's had to be there as I've been her caregiver. But you know what? We determined we're not going to sit here and have a pity party. It's not about that.

In fact, it isn't about us. None of this is surprising to God. God isn't in heaven going, oh, I didn't know that was going to happen, Chuck. I had no idea you'd be going.

No, are you kidding? He planned it way back years ago. This year will be the year of surgeries. We counted them. Three of them along with that neck surgery. That was fun. And we went through that, all of this, and we're ready for what the next may bring.

I hope that's it for the surgeries. I really do. But I don't know.

I don't know. People have the idea that we live this charmed life. We sort of flutter around from one meal to another and from one home to another. As a matter of fact, our life is exactly like yours.

Challenging, surprising, at times disappointing to the point of tears, other times so thrilling we can hardly believe we're who we are. We have to pinch ourselves to think we have the privilege of leading ministries like we do. That's our future. That's what God has for us.

You have yours. You can't live someone else's future. You live yours. Paul lived his, and what a future he made of it. Never once again did he long for the days when he was a Pharisee. Never once did he long for the days he could shine those trophies and get the applause.

As a matter of fact, when you read his record of later years, 2 Corinthians 11, you'll read a litany of one heartbreaking experience after another and not one complaint. Not one. Why?

Because he's pressing on. Pressing on. That's your calling. That's my challenge. That's why I'm saying you have an opportunity today that you haven't had all year long.

Turn the page of the calendar, move into the new year with fresh, new hope, knowing that God is full of surprises and change is on its way. Years ago, I met a wonderful man who's now died. His name was Bob Benson. Bob lived a wonderful life. I met him through my publishing world, and as a result of mutual friends, we got to know each other. I really came to love Bob and his simple way of thinking and living. Very gifted man.

He left in his legacy a piece I want to read. It's called Laughter in the Walls. Listen carefully. I pass a lot of houses on my way home. Some pretty, some expensive, some inviting. But my heart always skips a beat when I turn down the road and see my house nestled against the hill. I guess I'm especially proud of the house and the way it looks because I drew the plans myself. It started out large enough for the two of us.

I even had a study. Two teenage boys now reside in that study. And it had a guest room. Our girl and nine dolls are now permanent guests in that guest room. And it had a small room Peg had hoped would be her sewing room.

Two boys swinging on the Dutch door have claimed this room as their own. So it really doesn't look right now as if I'm much of an architect. But it will get larger again. One by one they will go away to work, to college, to the military service, to their own houses. And then there will be room for just the two of us.

But it won't be empty. Every corner, every room, every nick in the coffee table will be crowded with memories. Memories of picnics, parties, Christmases, bedside vigils, summers, fires, winters. Going barefoot, leaving for vacation, cats, conversations, black eyes, graduations, first dates, ball games, arguments, washing dishes, bicycles, dogs, boat rides, getting home from vacation, meals, rabbits, and thousand other things that fill our lives, the lives of those who have raised five.

And Peg and I will sit quietly by the fire and listen to the laughter in the walls. I want that for you, every one of us, regardless of your marital state, regardless of where you may live, I want you to have that kind of mentality as you step into tomorrow. And rather than ache and long for and drag the anchor from the past, trying to make it relive itself, leave it, let it go, and press on with new hope into a new future that God has planned for you. And by the way, the last time I checked, he didn't bother to tell us what it would be. You won't know until it's happening. And then in that new year, and maybe in a year or two that follows that new year, you'll realize what he had in mind, and you'll discover it wasn't the same as your past. It's a new beginning, new changes, new adjustments, new ways to adapt. Let me make certain that you stop on your own Damascus road, and you stop long enough to push those past accomplishments away. Set them aside. That was then.

This is now. It's like the poet who wrote, I'd walked life's way with an easy tread, I'd traveled where pleasures and comfort led, until one day, in a quiet place, I met the master face to face. I built my castles and reared them high till their towers had pierced the blue of the sky. I'd entered to win this life's mad race when I met the master face to face. I met him and I knew him, and I blushed to see that his eyes full of sorrow were fixed upon me. I faltered and fell at his feet that day while I melted and vanished away. Nothing else can I see but the master's face. My thoughts are now for the souls of men. I've lost my life to find it again, ever since that day in a quiet place, when I met the master face to face.

Make sure you have done that. You're not ready for a new year until you are there and have taken care of that. Bow with me, please. Just close your eyes. Build your own Damascus road right there in your lap. It's here where the Lord has stopped you. Your journey is now going to turn. It's going to move in a whole new direction.

It may not look anything like it used to look, and that's good, because it's what he wants for you. He says to you, I'm Jesus. You've been fighting against me.

Stop the fight. Open your heart. Let me in.

I'm waiting. I'm willing to come into your life. By a simple prayer of invitation, you can turn your life over to Christ.

By that I mean, give him first place. Take yourself off the throne, enthrone him, and say in effect, Lord Jesus Christ, I take you now. I believe in you now. From this moment on, I'm yours for your glory, for your purposes, whatever they may be. Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you, Father, for Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us. Thank you for a man vulnerable enough to admit that all of those great accomplishments were worthless compared to his relationship with you and your son, Jesus. Thank you for stopping all of us in our tracks on this Sunday, pulling us aside, getting our attention, allowing us to hear the truth and receive your son as our savior. Now to him who is able to guard you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, for now and forever and ever and ever.

Through Jesus Christ, I pray, and all God's people said, amen, amen. For three days now, Chuck Swindoll has presented a message titled, Here's Something Worth Forgetting. Tomorrow on Insight for Living, we'll shift our attention to the future in a message he's calling, Here's Something Worth Remembering.

To learn more about this ministry, visit us online at insightworld.org. Well, we've set aside several minutes to hear a personal comment from Chuck. But first, we'd like to give you a glimpse of Chuck's teaching schedule in the new year. On January 13th, Chuck will begin a comprehensive study through the magnificent Gospel According to Matthew. This first book in the New Testament tells the story of our king from his arrival in Bethlehem to his call for the Great Commission. In order to get ready for this brand new series, you may want to secure Swindoll's Living Insights Commentary for Matthew. It comes in two hardbound volumes, and it's written in a style that's easy to understand, and the format is simple to navigate. These are excellent reference books that belong in the library of anyone who's a student of the Bible. To purchase Swindoll's Living Insights Commentary for Matthew, go to insight.org slash store. If you prefer, you can call us.

If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Well, Chuck, 2020 has presented all sorts of unexpected moments, and one of those surprises included the tragic loss of your sister. Every brother in this vast world would be fortunate to have a big sister like mine whose name was Lucy. Just a few years my senior, and what an enormous inspiration she was to me, gratefully most of my memories about my sis are filled with hilarious laughter. One spontaneous story after another, Lucy would have our entire family doubled over, laughing so hard our eyelids flipped out, and the memory of those lighthearted moments helps us right now because, as most of you know, we lost Lucy just a few weeks ago.

Her three-year decline ended on the 20th of October when she left us and stepped into the gates of glory. I share this personal sorrow with you because I know that you have suffered some losses in 2020 as well. It may not have been the death of your sister, but perhaps you went through a financial setback, maybe a layoff from your job, or even the loss of your health. I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I share your sadness.

More importantly, God does. The prophet Isaiah described Jesus as a man of sorrows and acquainted with our deepest grief. And so, this month as we close the books on one of the most challenging years in human history, we do so not in defeat, but in the anticipated joy of heaven's promise. And as we finish the last chapter of 2020 and open a brand new page to 2021, I invite you to join us in our all-out effort to bring this joy, hope, and comfort to a global audience of men and women just like you and me. Many are confused by a year of profound losses. With all my heart, I've never felt stronger about bringing joy to the joyless, hope to the hopeless, and great comfort to you who hurt.

And you can do that with me by financially supporting Insight for Living. You know, Lucy inherited a Swindoll trait. Like me, she was, well, kind of loud. She attended the church I pastor every Sunday morning, and I knew exactly where she was sitting. Because of her booming contralto voice, when we would sing those hymns and songs of praises, there was such beauty and fullness in the music because of her voice.

As her brother and the preacher, I'll admit to you, I found solace and great delight in hearing Lucy take the harmony as I would usually take the melody. And now it's your turn. This is your time of the year to harmonize with us. We need your voice too. Insight for Living has never missed a day of broadcasting in 2020, and as long as God gives me breath, I'll be right here for you every single day of 2021. Please follow God's lead and let us hear from you.

Give whatever amount He has placed on your heart, but do so soon. Together, let's tell the world you're not alone. God hears your voice.

Yes, please take this occasion to let your voice be heard. Someone is here right now to receive your call. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. You can also use our convenient mobile app or go directly to our website at insight.org. For nonprofit ministries like Insight for Living, there's no more important week in the calendar year than this one.

We're coming down to the wire. The deadline is Thursday night at midnight, so give a year in donation by calling us. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888 or give online at insight.org. Join us again on New Year's Eve when Chuck Swindoll presents another time-sensitive message. Listen Thursday to Insight for Living. The preceding message, Here's Something Worth Forgetting, was copyrighted in 2019 and 2020, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2020 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.