Do Overs
Dear Friends,
Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, I had the chance to reflect back over the day. As I did so, I quickly realized that I hadn't approached the day with the patience and kindness and joy I should have. That realization left me feeling disappointed and frustrated with myself, and wishing I could get a “do over” for several of the interactions I had yesterday.
Fortunately, as I was thinking through all of that, God reminded me that He is a God of second chances. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that, “Everyone has sinned, and we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” While this is a clear statement of our sinful nature prior to knowing God, it's also a statement of how we can stumble as believers. So one of the realities of the Christian life is that we are all going to have bad days…or even weeks or months! We will all have times when we don't handle life like we should.
However, the other truth is that even when we fail miserably, God is ready to forgive us. And in doing so, He gives us the opportunity to put our mistakes behind us. Again, the Apostle Paul helps us understand this, as he writes in Romans 3:24: “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.” This passage makes it clear that forgiveness is available to us. So when we mess up, God does offer us a “do over”.
Without a doubt, that is one of the greatest blessings of the Christian life. The key is that we have to choose to accept it. Whether we realize it or not, when it comes to handling our sin and mistakes, there are only two options. We can either confess our sin, turn from it, and know the joy of being forgiven - or we can conceal and hide our sin, and experience the misery of being estranged from God. Choosing forgiveness is what God wants us to do, and it is by far the best choice for us.
So today, let's choose what God has so freely made available to us; let's choose forgiveness. No matter what's happened in our day, or what's been happening in our lives, God is willing to wipe the slate clean and let us start fresh with Him. So let’s ask Him to do that - and then let's enjoy the joy that comes from knowing we are truly forgiven.
Amen?
Daniel
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