Bible Verse of the Day Friday January 13th, 2023

Ecclesiastes 3:15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

This verse in Ecclesiastes clearly exemplifies the range and power God has over human life. We have all heard the saying, "time does not stand still," which is what we must comprehend about time. It is always in the future but also the present and past simultaneously. Therefore, this verse is not about time but the events inside time.

In our frailty as humans, we view time as past, present, and future. Solomon is saying that all time is bound together in God's eyes. This verse parallels what Solomon said in chapter Ecclesiastes 1:9 "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." We might recognize it better in the saying, "history always repeats itself." Technology in all fields will constantly change as time moves forward, but life's basics will remain the same. The one constant in all this is that God never changes (Hebrews 13:8).

The lesson for us to learn here is that God does not bring our past to us for condemnation. Instead, he shows us our history for reasons of redemption. Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, is our redeemer. God wants to help those who cannot seem to overcome their past, leading to a life of exaltation and joy. When we think of our past, we sometimes look back over the many years we have been alive, but our history started with the heartbeat that just occurred.

We cannot take this as every issue in our lives will be resolved instantly, and as life goes forward, it will not be a "Rose Garden." No, God will bring certain aspects of our past to mind, helping us shift through these possible mistakes more clearly than when they happened. These tribulations allow us to look at the events from God's perspective, not our own, helping us understand the repentance necessary to move forward and leave the past in the past.

This concept seems like a contradiction in terms. However, if you think about it like, you dropped your wallet somewhere and realize it is missing; then you retrace your steps backward until you find it, you will be able to move forward and leave the lost wallet incident in the past. We will learn from this mistake so that that will not happen again. Similarly, God will bring some sin to our minds so we can leave it in the past through repentance. When we do this and still worry about whatever we repented, we say God has no control over the past, present, or future (Psalms 103:12).

God will not bring up any sin or wrongdoing that you have honestly, from your heart, repented. When this repented sin comes up to you from any source, be it your mind or someone around you reminding you of this, it is not from God. Satan will always try to keep you tripped up with things that happened in the past. Just place your faith and trust in God that He is faithful in forgiving your past sins and forgetting them (1 John 1:8-9; Hebrews 8:12). Do not let Satan rob you of the peace and joy that is ours because Jesus went through the shame, pain, and death on the Cross of Calvary so that we might have the peace of God through Christ Jesus (John 14:27)