A Warning About Yesterday

The Bible is against idolatry of all sorts. This seems like an obvious statement, but it can catch us by surprise when it confronts the idols that we didn't fully realize we were worshipping.

The idol of nostalgia may be one of those false gods for you. Consider Ecclesiastes 7:10: "Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?' For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this."

Maybe you'll appreciate the NLT on this verse: "Don’t long for 'the good old days.' This is not wise."

It's not wrong to remember good things. It's not sinful to miss sweet things. It's not evil to have treasured memories.

However, the experiences of our past can become idols when we let them dominate our present. The reality is that God has you here and now, not there and then. He has put you in this place today so that you may serve Him today. He calls you to follow Him in this present age, not to dwell on days gone by.

"Let bygones be bygones," and let the Spirit open your eyes for today that you may serve God with the breath you have. Forget what lies behind and press forward (Philippians 3:13). Remember God's good gifts from yesteryear in such a way that it stimulates you toward contemporary love and good works. Serve God today with a mind that lives in today.