AuthorTerry R Baughman is Lead Pastor for LifeChurch in Gilbert, AZ. See his complete bio at trbaughman.com Archives
October 2024
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Fantasy of Future Fulfillment1/27/2019  Fantasy of Future Fulfillment
… a new beginning! Terry R. Baughman “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:13-14). The deception of delay is a thief of time and the curse of unfulfilled potential. When opportunity comes knocking there is an option to answer the call or to ignore the moment with indecisive delays: “maybe later;” “what if it’s hard;” “how can I know what’s best” … all become excuses to wait. Wanting clarity, dreaming of the perfect moment, fearing the future, or merely resigned complacently to the comfortable, all supply the same purpose, to delay decisions. Tomorrow is the easy answer to all of today’s difficult decisions. It is often easier to postpone an answer than it is to act with resolve. An ambiguous “we’ll see;” “maybe so;” “later;” or “someday,” is often expressed in answer to the impetuous desire of youth seeking to bring tomorrow’s sunrise to today’s challenge. Fulfillment of today’s opportunity is the best preparation for the unsolved problems of the future. Today is the only time you own. Yesterday is spent and tomorrow is in reserve. The past is no place to live, but neither is the future. Now is the moment for living and the fulfillment of purpose. The razor thin existence of the present is the magical opportunity to effect change and shape the reality of future hope and distant dreams. If we seek only to live in tomorrow we miss the gracious gift of present reality. Daydreams of an illusive future reality denies us the opportunity to live a productive life today and experience fulfillment of the present. Creditors promise we can live the dream and buy our future hopes with affordable monthly payments. The fine home, the luxury car, and exotic vacations are available now if we are willing to mortgage our future and pay the price with accrued interest perpetually binding us in debtors’ chains. In reality, the dream quickly vanishes, the car wears out and requires repair, and the home demands maintenance beyond our means. Our society seduces us to expect all the benefits of a future dream with an inflated price tag of a squandered present. The fantasy of future fulfillment is the temptation to live the future now and skip through the process of maturity and preparation for that distant event. Since no one knows the future we are fooled into thinking we can jump ahead into a world that will never be and live a life we were never meant to live. When we are deluded in our minds our hearts are deceived and our direction is detoured on a dead end path. God’s delight is in providing for our present and gifting us with a promise for the future. So, we must trust in Him for our tomorrows and embrace His provision for today. Bringing our dreams into submission to His higher purpose will position us for greater potential than we have ever imagined possible. Live each day walking the path of His provision, confidently looking to Him in faith for our future. A new beginning starts with living in the present, trusting Christ for our future! Scripture: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NIV).
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The Treadmill of the Present1/20/2019  The Treadmill of the Present
… a new beginning! Terry R. Baughman And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, …, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, .…” So he said, “Tomorrow.” (Exodus 8:9–10). The devastating plagues of judgment against the Pharaoh and the Egyptians are revealed in the Book of Exodus. Ten times the Lord brings various calamities upon the people in an effort to change the heart of their ruler and thereby allow Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bondage to return to the land of promise. Moses was called by God to represent Him and the children of Israel before Pharaoh and to request their release. Pharaoh was not inclined to hear of this great army of slave laborers leaving their posts and vacating the land of which they had lived and labored for over 400 years. Each succeeding plague seemed to grow more intense until the people were ready to thrust them out of the land to escape the hand of judgment that God had brought upon them. A most interesting response from Pharaoh took place in the second plague, the infestation of frogs. When the rivers, the land, and their houses were overrun with the amphibians, Pharaoh was ready to surrender to the demands of Moses. He agreed the people could leave the land to offer sacrifices; a promise from which he would renege. Nevertheless, Moses favored Pharaoh with the honor of setting the time when relief from the frogs would take place. It is incredible to read his response. Faced with such an incredible catastrophe of having frogs everywhere, and given the opportunity to be freed from the scourge, Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow!” Tomorrow? Why not NOW! Why would anyone who is suffering choose to delay promised relief for another minute? Was it a lacking in faith, disbelief in the solution? Was it a delay to see if things would just get better without intervention? We will never know for sure. However, we may find ourselves in a similar situation. Sometimes we choose to remain in our cycle of despair when deliverance is promised. Some have heard of the power of God to change lives and bring hope for the future and yet continue on in their sins waiting for another day. Procrastination is the enemy of a present victory. Delay will only postpone the promise. When God makes a promise it is ours for the taking. Why wait for a more convenient moment? Why postpone a promise when you can claim the resolution in God’s favor? Like a hamster on a wheel we sometimes are caught up in the routine of our present situation and running on a treadmill of our present predicament. Stuck in the present it seems we can never get beyond the moment and into the miracle. As much as we want to believe that God has a promise for us it is sometimes easier to walk the same repetitious path of suffering than to leap into the future of God’s fulfilled promises. Today let’s take the leap of faith and leave the treadmill of the present in the past of disbelief. Scripture: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NIV).
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Trapped in the Past1/13/2019  Trapped in the Past
… a new beginning! Terry R. Baughman “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14). The past is no place to live, yet we often find ourselves trapped, reliving the mistakes of yesterday and condemned by the failures of the past. The enemy of our souls would have us feel that we are unique in our shortcomings, that no one else has made as many mistakes, and that we alone are worthy of condemnation. He would have us wallow in self-pity and drown in a pit of hopeless despair. The prison of the past is a real place and the confines are as tangible as a cellblock of steel. However, this prison is one of our own design and the door is locked from the inside. The key is found in our own mind and release is readily available. Freedom from sin comes only through a knowledge of God and redemption is made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. None are unique in their sin or alone in failures. The truth is we are all guilty of transgression. No one is above mistakes and we have all known sin. Paul made it clear that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Quoting from Psalm 14 Paul concluded, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Jesus came that we might be free. The contrast could not be more evident, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” But, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Through repentance and remission of sins we have the promise of the Spirit to lead us in a full life of freedom. (See Acts 2:38.) Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” And He said, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36). Yet even after the atonement that Christ made possible for us and all that He has promised us through redemption, we can still be bound and find ourselves trapped in the prison of the past, condemned by the memories of our making. Paul surely referenced this tendency when he said, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13). The key is to forget. Put the past in its place … in the past! Remove it from your present position and release the certain knowledge that you are free in Jesus Christ. Jesus does not keep you imprisoned and it is not His will for you to endure condemnation. The truth is, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Forget the past. Look forward in the power of the Spirit. It is time to start … a new beginning! Scripture: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NIV).
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All Things New1/6/2019  All Things New
… a new beginning! Terry R. Baughman “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). God, our Creator, is unique, not just in that He makes matter from nothing, He can also make something new where there was wear and waste. He is a creator of both innovation and restoration. He delights in restoration, in bringing life to some who have given up all hope. He also loves to bring new life to those who have lost their reason to live. He makes something from nothing when He speaks courage to the discouraged, hope to the hopeless, and cheer to the sad and lonely. His offer of an abundant life is to all who will come to Him in faith and experience the New Birth. God does not just make new things, but He takes existing molecules of matter rearranging them for some grand new design. God is not a consumer who uses and discards the wasted materials of some passing fad, growing tired of some things and creating replacements. Rather, God is the ultimate recycler. He takes the well-used, often rejected elements of nature and reenters them into the process of reclamation and redemption. One only has to observe the aftereffects of a devastating wildfire to witness the calculated reformation brought about in time. The elements in a destroyed forest decay and dissolve into revitalizing nutrients for emerging flora. The miracle of rebirth is seen in just a few years as the burnt out scar upon the landscape turns green with new and vibrant life. Restoration is built into nature and resides in the character of God. He delights in bringing new life to the soul ravaged by a life of sin. Original sin was born in the heart of rebellion from the selfish exaltation of Lucifer. In some vast past this angel of light became the prince of darkness. He was cast from the celestial realm onto the sphere of Earth, disrupting the synchronous order of creation and introducing the foreign concept of chaos. Genesis records the chaos of the scene, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). God began to speak and His creative voice and presence restored order and produced beauty. The reoccurring comment to all that He spoke was, “It was good.” His Word makes everything good. Nothing brings more pleasure to God than to see possibilities where there has been devastation. God is pleased when the wasted become renewed, the rejected are reclaimed, and the worn out and dying become rejuvenated and revived. At the close of the year we are given an opportunity to consider the moment, reflect on our progress, and evaluate our future ambitions. It’s a perfect time to establish some new spiritual goals as we consider our past progression. We have a new opportunity for a fresh start. We can wipe the slate clean and determine our future destiny in Christ. Scripture: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NIV). |
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