Ministry Resources

60 Seconds – Shutting Out Yesterdays

Author: Dave Arnold

An ocean liner is built so that the captain can, by pressing a button, lower steel doors separating one watertight bulkhead from another, so that only a portion of the ship is flooded, in case of some type disaster. This keeps the ship afloat. Dr. Olser, a world-renowned physician, made this wise observation:

“In the voyage of life, learn how to make doors come down and shut out the yesterdays with all their errors and failures. Learn also to lower another door to shut out the unborn tomorrows so that you can live for this day alone. As you move into the next bulkhead, close doors that will shut out both the past, and the future.”

The Psalmist’s desire was, “That men may know that You, whose name is JEHOVAH, are Most High over all the earth” (Psalm 83:15). Jehovah is one of the incommunicable names of God, which signifies His eternal essence. The Jews observe that in God’s name Jehovah, the Trinity is implied. Je signifies present tense, ho the preter-perfect tense, vah the future. The Jews also observe that in His name Jehovah all the Hebrew letters are literae quiescenties, denoting rest, implying that in God and from God is all our rest. Being eternal, He has already lived all of our past, present, and tomorrows!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely, and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

Moses, when under the burden of leading such a vast number of people, received this answer from God, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). The Hebrew word for “rest” speaks of “a comfortable, peaceful confidence.” Jehovah’s message to Moses was, “No matter what you face, I will always be faithful to you. Furthermore, in Me, you will find a quiet rest and confidence.”

“All the water in the world
However hard it tried,
Could never sink a ship
Unless it got inside.
All the hardships of this world
Might wear you pretty thin,
But they won’t hurt you one least bit
Unless you let them in.”

Take just 60 seconds, and have something to think about all day! Stimulating articles written by Dave Arnold.

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