What can we do with the past? What must we do? Lay it down and leave it. God teaches us to “forget what is behind” so that we can “reach forward to what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13). The writer to the Hebrews said, “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us looking to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). A man came to Jesus and said, “Lord, I will follow you…”; then, he wanted to look back. Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:61-62).

Every sin can be forgiven. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like us. Sometimes we make mistakes. Think about it. Would you say that you learned more from your successes or from your mistakes? It is true that some people never seem to learn from their mistakes. They just keep making the same old errors in judgment, the same old mistakes. We can be different. We must be different. We can learn from our mistakes and become smarter, stronger, and wiser.

Would you say that the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in John 4 had a past? Read about the conversation Jesus had with this woman. Whew! She had had five husbands and was living with a man that was not her husband. Yet Jesus offered her relief from her past. He said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Of course, Jesus is talking about salvation.

Read about the woman who was caught in adultery, the very act in John chapter 8. The men who brought her to Jesus only did so to find a way to accuse Jesus. I have often wondered why the other individual in this sinful act was not brought in. Maybe he was one of those who brought her to Jesus. We do not know. We do know that Jesus offered no excuse for this woman’s sin. He did say to those who accused her, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” No stones were thrown. As a matter of fact, after a few moments of silence Jesus looked up and saw that every man had went out one by one. He looked at the woman and said to her: “Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. No one comes to the Father except by and through Him (John 14:6). He alone is the solution to our past.

What can we do about the future? What must we do? We must not worry about it. Jesus taught us about worry and anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34. He said, “Do not worry about you life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Did you know that most of the things we worry about never actually happen? Many of our worries can be summed up in two words, “What if?” It is always wise to plan for tomorrow. I know that my utility bill will arrive in the mail sometime this week. My house payment is due every month. I am hungry just about every morning, noon, and night. We must learn to live our lives with trust rather than worry. God takes care of his creation. Jesus asked, “Are you not of more value than they?” He then reminds us that our Father knows about our needs and will sufficiently provide for our needs. We must trust and not worry about tomorrow.

What about today? Now, that’s a good question! May we all live today to its fullest potential! Jesus Christ delivers us from worry and fear.