by Pastor Douglas Brauner

God’s Word Has the Power to Point Us to His Future

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2 English Standard Version

The windows to the left and the right of this door paint two separate pictures of what windows do. Windows either reflect what’s behind us or they point us to what’s ahead. God’s word is that window into our lives. It has the ability to both reflect our past mistakes and point us to God’s future.

It’s easy to get stuck in regret when God’s word reveals our sins. We all know that we could have done better. We could have been more obedient, made better choices, and loved God and others more deeply. Could have. Could have. Could have, but we didn’t.

The door that stands between the window of regret and the window of hope is the Door himself, Jesus Christ (John 10:7). All your sins, all my sins, have been nailed to Jesus. There is no reason for us to live in regret. Forgiveness is the power to free us from remorse. It’s also the power to change our view of the future.

God’s word is the window through which we see a new future. It is a future filled with hope. Tears wiped away; no sin, no sorrows, pure joy.

Here’s the power of God’s word: it frees us from regret that traps us. We probably won’t forget our biggest sins and mistakes, but they no longer need to haunt us because of Jesus’ blood that has washed us clean.

In the place of regret, God points us to his future for our lives, an amazing future, a future that might appear somewhat vague, but that’s already our reality. May God continue to give us eyes to see that future he has planned for us.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs Colorado.