Don’t Look Back!
Gen. 19.26
God told them “look not behind thee”, verse 17. Yet Lot’s wife “looked back from behind him”. The result was not good. In a few days I will turn sixty years old. Until this birthday I have never had any regrets or sadness because of another year disappearing. But this time I have had many thoughts of things I could have done different, or if I had a chance to “do over”, I may not do the same. Thank God that each time I started to “look back” I was reminded of how useless that process is. Let’s look at some reasons that we “look back”.
- Lot’s wife “looked back from behind him”, verse 26.
- She was doing more than just taking a quick glance, she was really suffering loss.
- We are all going to suffer loss at some time in life, some sooner, some later.
- Our grip on those losses will cause us to not obey God, or even get made at God.
- Your childhood may have been very traumatic, looking back is not always a good thing.
- She was losing status, “Lot sat in the gate of Sodom”, verse 1, he was of importance.
- If you come from a poor background, you don’t want to go back.
- If you come from a rich background, you really don’t want to be poor.
- Paul learned to be content, 4:11
- She was leaving Family and friends, verses 14-15, she had other daughters.
- Loss of these through death will happen to us all.
- Loss of these because of relocation.
- Loss of these because of Christ, John 15:18
- She could have had a fear of looking forward- the unknown, leaving her comfort zone.
- We are supposed to forget those things which are behind, 3:13-14.
Our identity is made up of what we do or what we have, and not who we are in Christ.
Your job can become your identity, such as a mother loses her identity when the children leave the house. Athletes lose their identity when they no longer compete, etc.
- 3:1-8, No trust or confidence in the flesh, gain for you, loss for Christ
- 3:9, You have the righteousness of Christ
- 3:10-11, You have access to power and fellowship
- 3:12-13, Paul had not attained it completely, so neither have we.
- 3:14, We must press forward, and not look back.