Springboard

Have you read thru Deuteronomy lately? I was reading this morning and something hit me. This is one long sermon. If you're a preacher and someone accuses you of going long...point them to Deuteronomy because it's Moses' final words to his people. In it, he reviews all the things that have happened to them during their journey to the Promised Land. Why did he review it? They were the ones who made the journey. I think he reviewed it so he could use their past as a springboard into the future. Remember, Moses' time was over...he wasn't going into the Land of Canaan because of an earlier sin. He was passing the leadership torch to Joshua and in his final words he used some good stories of the past to launch them into the future God had called them to. I must admit, there is not much I enjoy more than sitting around a campfire with good friends and sharing old stories from the past. And think about it...all the stories get better each time you tell them. True? I think in church we are good at looking at the past but sometimes I'm afraid we're too good. We dwell on it and love it so much that we want to relive the old days rather than make new ones. Looking at the past is great but we must use it to thrust us into a better tomorrow. In church we get stuck in ministry ruts because "we've always done it that way." We have to ask the question, "what can I do differently today that will make newer and better memories tomorrow?" Once you've answered that question it's time to get busy with today. Memories are great, Moses relived them, but he used them as we should...a springboard to something better!