Skip to main content

Let the Past be the Past

I've made some mistakes, and done some things I really wish I hadn't done in my past, maybe even this weekend.  How do I become a good person?  How do I get right with God? 

Does this sound like you, or someone you know today?  Please allow me to offer a brief answer, and some encouragement.

There was a man in the Bible named Saul.  He was persecuting and even killing Christians.  I'm sure most of us aren't that bad, hope not anyway.  But when he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, his whole life changed direction.  He went from attacking Christians, to spreading the Word of Christ.  How does that happen? 

It's a miracle, a gift of salvation.  Saul, who then became known as Paul, was justified before God immediately upon his conversion.  He had not yet done anything good for the Lord, but he had placed his faith in Him.  "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." - Galations 2:16

I can't work my way to heaven, you can't work your way to heaven, none of us can get right with God alone.  There's only one way to be justified and that is by placing your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Once you do that, he will begin a process of sanctification, which is basically a fancy church word for becoming more like Christ. 

I didn't change from who I was to who I am overnight, and you most likely won't either, it's a process.  But don't give up or have too little hope.  This guy Saul, who became Paul, wrote much of the New Testament and spread God's Word immensely during his time.  What can the Lord do through you?  Will you attend a church or talk to a believer today who can introduce you to this man we know as Jesus?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2020 is Hindsight...Finally!

Wow, what a year! 2020 could literally be an entire decade, maybe more, of history, change, and lessons rolled up into these twelve months. While many aspects of 2020 were kind of sucky and we would like to forget them, it will certainly be a year to remember. And it will be enlightening when this year is looked back on in 10, 25, or 50 years to be discussed. I wonder if we'll seem like geniuses or idiots? Probably both to some extent! While there is so much that I could consider and analyze about this year, I'll try to break some of it down into four dimensions - Physical, Spiritual, Mental, and Social/Emotional. These are events and happenings from my world and perspective and I'm trying to be open in sharing and would love to hear from others on events you found most transforming. Physical When COVID cause gyms to close, that messed me up. Our town and state were late to be hit with severe cases and therefore later than many across the country to close up shop. I'm n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Who Wants to be Dilos?

You're probably wondering if that's a typo or not. While doing a search for these letters did actually reveal that there is a brand and some fictional character out there with this name - my real intent was to show that order matters. You see, if we reverse the letters, you then spell the word, S-O-L-I-D. Yet far too many of us are operating with a Dilos mindset instead of getting our priorities in order and becoming Solid. We chase money like it's the most important thing in the world. And while it's certainly necessary, if money is the number one goal of any individual, or even any business, failure is surely on the horizon. To better understand the significance of the order, let's go through them backwards. Dollars. Yes, money matters. But what good is all the money in the world if you're "dumb as a box of rocks" and lack the next component, Intelligence, and don't know how to manage (or keep) your wealth? Intelligence. Let's say yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The New Normal

When all of this COVID, Coronavirus, and pandemic talk first started, I literally got sick of hearing the phrase, "the new normal."  I heard sermons preached talking about what is normal.  I even preached one that I titled, "The Next Normal."  But what if these "new normal" people are actually onto something? When I was growing up, a normal summer consisted of a lot of time with Mom.  She was a school teacher so we were all out for several (probably stressful) months together.  She, my brother, and sister would spent countless hours at the pool and make several trips each year to stay at my aunt's house in the lower part of the state, about 30 minutes from the beach.  That was normal for me. But now, 30ish years or so later, life for my children (and their precious little grandchildren) looks very different - almost like there's a new normal in town.   My parents worked hard, sacrificed, and saved for years before purchasing a lake house in 2010 - ...
Post a Comment
Read more