Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Don’t Look Back!”
“What evil people dread most will happen to them...” – Proverbs 10:24 (CEV)

I have noticed something about “sprinters” in track & field, especially those who run (what we used to refer to as) the 100-yard dash, or today, 100 meter—they don’t look behind them to see who is closest to them. They don’t have time! My son ran Cross-Country in High School and I heard his coach telling them: “Looking back is equivalent to losing your spot. If you are looking back—afraid of someone catching up to you and passing you—then you will most likely have that fear realized.” And in Cross-Country, each spot you lose could cost the team precious points, preventing the team from winning.
Jesus talked of fear (and let us add to that worry) on a number of occasions. Most often in respect to life in general but He certainly understood how easily we give in to our fears and how spiritually and physically destructive they can be.
I would like to take a slightly altered approach to this verse if I could to give a bit of a different context to it. Instead of “evil” let’s insert the phrase, “…those who are not spiritually-minded…” Let’s face it, anyway you say it you get the same results. Those who are not spiritually minded are in fact, sinners. There is no such thing as “almost Christian.” Gorillas and chimpanzees are close to being human, but they are no more human than what a horse or cows are. But I digress…
The person who is not spiritually minded might believe in God, they may go to Church every week, even put something in the offering plate, but when it comes to matters of the heart and soul, God’s Word and Will tend to take a back seat. In other words, the fears of the world are of greater concern and have complete power over them in everything they say and do. Isaiah wrote: "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”(Isaiah 55:8, NLT) Their trust is in themselves, or in things that have no permanency, which is where the fear comes in! If a non-spiritually minded person has put their complete trust in their possessions, what do you think they would fear most? A tornado? Fire? Flood? Theft? I cannot remember what insurance company it was but I did like the commercial about a dog that was worried about what would happen to his bone. He first, dug a hole and put it there—but he was worried another dog would dig it up. He put it in his dog house but he was not comfortable that it would be safe there either. He then put it in a safe-deposit box at the bank, but even then that was not enough. That to me is a great description of the person who cannot trust God for the things they think matter most! The person who is constantly, “looking back” knows they are not secure, they just may not know why. I will offer my opinion here—it is because they do not have a real finish line to cross or a solid foundation on which to stand. I think it is here that Jesus’ parable of the house’s foundation is appropriate.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” – Matthew 7:24-27

The race is on! Keep your eyes straight ahead and do not worry what or who is behind you. The Lord is waiting at the finish line and His reward is all that matters and if your trust is in Him…you will have nothing to fear.
Pastor J. T. Carnell.