Sent on September 14, 2016
Greetings,
How much do you rely on the grace of God?
Let’s put things into perspective for a moment. That is, let’s examine God and what He knows.
Ps. 139 starts out with these verses:
1 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
Just for one minute think about what God knows about you. When I think of how God knows anything I have ever done I immediately thank Him for the grace that He has extended to me.
When my past comes to mind I can either feel shame and be miserable about it, or I can step into that place of thankfulness and have a sense of rejoicing because God is not holding my past against me.
Don’t spend time thinking about the things you should have done or the things you would have done if you could do it over again, or the things you could have done that would have made it better. I call these the woulda, shoulda, coulda joy robbers that will do nothing but release condemnation.
Rather than allow that to happen, remember that although there are things you would do differently, things you should have done and things you could have done differently, today is a new day and the book of Lamentations tells us “His compassions fail not, they are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness”.
Every morning we have the opportunity to start over forgetting what is behind as we press onwards in the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Today, do not allow the past to hold you back. Give thanks for the grace that is continually extended to you by extending grace to others and you will be in a constant state of transformation.
God is much more interested in your present than He is in your past. What you do in the present will determine your future.
Jer 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
That future is not based on your past but based on the thoughts and plans He has for you. Rejoice in His thoughts for you today.
Love to all,
PB
P.S. Here is an article on the Faithworks blog with a similar theme: How to Forgive yourself and Move On from the Past