OUR DAILY BREAD                             Saturday, December 31, 1994
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Read: Philippians 3:15-21



                                          Past, Present, Future


                                            I press toward the
                                          goal... Brethren, join
                                      in following my example.

                                          Philippians 3:14,17


In his painting "An Allegory of Prudence," the 16th-century Venetian 
artist Titan portrayed Prudence as a man with three heads. one head was 
of a youth facing the future, another of a mature man eyeing the 
present, and the third, a wise old man gazing at the past. Over their 
heads Titan wrote a Latin phrase that means, "From the example of the 
past, the man of the present acts prudently so as not to imperil the 
future."

We need the kind of wisdom to overcome the anxiety created by our past 
failures and the fear of repeating them in the future--  an anxiety that 
can keep us from enjoying life to the fullest right now.

Paul was able to "forget" his past and anticipate his future (Phil-
ippians 3:13-14). This doesn't mean that his memory was erased; it means 
that because God had forgiven him, Paul was free of any guilt or pride 
he may have felt from his past. As he lived in daily fellowship with 
Christ, trials could only make him more like his Savior. So he had one 
driving passion-- to know Christ better.

As we close the chapter of 1994,let's rededicate ourselves to Christ in 
1995 and follow Paul's example, Jesus will enable us to live fully in 
the present as we gain wisdom from the past and face the future with 
courage.

Dennis J. De Haan


Lord, I'm standing at the door
Of this new untarnished year;
Help me to live it all for Thee,
Use me in Thy service here.

-- McAllaster


The bible in one year: Revelation 19-22

Thought for the day: Never let a bleak past cloud a bright future


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