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“I’m looking to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” – George Burns.
Over 2,000 years ago a young Greek artist named Timanthes painted an exquisite work of art. One morning when he arrived to admire his work, he was shocked to find it blotted out with paint. Angry, Timanthes ran to his teacher, who admitted he had destroyed the painting. “I did it for your own good. You are so enamored with that painting that it is hindering your progress. Start again and see if you can do better.” Timanthes took his teacher’s advice and produced Sacrifice of Iphigenia, which is regarded as one of the finest paintings of antiquity.
On the 24th, Northstar will celebrate our 25th anniversary. The past weeks have been somewhat of a reflective journey for all of us who call Northstar home. So many people have been a part of these twenty-five years, and so many special events have taken place. There have been challenges and trials; probably more than we expected, but that is only a fraction of the story. Overwhelmingly, these twenty-five years have been full of the goodness and blessings of God. We seen God do the miraculous here. We’ve seen Him save souls and change lives. We’ve grown to know Him more, love Him better, and serve Him more fully. We are thankful for this special commemorative day to look at our roots and see how God has prospered us, we are equally excited about what He will do in the future.
We can be confident of the future because of the promises we have in God’s word which says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. It does not matter whether we have 25 more years ahead of us, 250 years ahead of us or 2,500 years ahead of us.
What do we want for the next 25 years? We want more of the love of Jesus Christ to flow through us into the lives of others. We want to be that church, where anyone can come and know they will be accepted, and that they will hear the truth which comes from the word of God. We want to be people who love one another as Christ loved us. We want to be fully surrendered and fully reliant on God. C. S. Lewis said, “Relying on God has to start all over everyday, as if nothing has yet been done.”
So on September 25, the next chapter in the life of Northstar and the people who call Northstar home begins. The next anniversary is on the horizon. God is faithful and sovereign, no matter what occurs in the future. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23 NIV). We know God will guide us as He has in the past. And as in the past we believe He will do great things.
“But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV).
Discussion Questions:
As you think about the future ask yourself the following questions:
- How would I define my relationship with Jesus? Am I more in love with Jesus and more intimate with His Spirit than in the past? What do I do in the future to improve my relationship with Jesus even further?
- Do I ponder the fulness of the Gospel daily? How can I make that part of my daily routine going forward?
- Is the Holy Spirit real to me? Do I experience His source, power, mind, and attitude daily? If not, how can I change that in the future?