Day 27: Let the Past Be the Past

Philippians 3:13-- No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing-- Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

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Paul (the writer of Philippians) had a pretty good reason for wanting to forget the past.  When he was Saul, he was instrumental in horrible, horrific things against the Christians/Gentiles.

But Paul knew, as we should, that once God forgives a sin-- He will forget it.  NEVER think on it again.

We have to be the same way with ourselves.  Everyone has a past.  Some seem worse than others.  Pray about YOUR past-- ask for forgiveness--- and then-- forget it.  If someone brings it back up again say, "I was a different person then." And TRULY mean it because it's true!  You WERE a different person then.  Everytime God forgives you, you become new again. 

Focus on what's ahead.  Focus on all of the blessings ahead of us... focus on the blessings going on NOW.  Not the past.  The past is gone... can't change it no matter how hard we try.

Sometimes I think back on some of my mistakes and I cringe.  Not that I've ever done anything 'bad', but there are some things I wish I hadn't of done.  I can see the mistakes I made now.. even when I didn't see them then.  I need to pray and let MY past be in the past.

Can you do the same?

Depression can result from dwelling on the past because its IMPOSSIBLE to go back and change it.  There is no time machine that can take you back to 1998 and undo something. It's not possible.  So dwelling on something that can't be changed is pointless.  Focus on the now.  Focus on your blessings NOW (and you have them... even if you don't realize it).

You may not can change the past, but you CAN forgive it (Others.. AND yourself!) and move on-- looking toward the future with a new, clean, hopeful heart.

God Bless You!

Kelly

Day 5: The "Levels" of Sin?

Romans 3:23-24~ For everyone has sinnned; we all fall short of God's glorious standards.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penality for our sins.

This goes along with what we talked about yesterday--All have sinned, so we best not judge.

But today's verse goes a bit farther.

Do you know the difference between big and little sin?

Yeah, of course, that is a trick question.  To God-- all sins are equal.  Murders are no better/worse than liars.  Adulterers lumped with prideful people....

I don't know about you, but that's hard for me to swallow.

I, with my little white lies (at times), am no better than a cold, hearted murderer in God's eyes.

Well, Kelly!  I thought these were supposed to be UPLIFTING!  That's pretty depressing! (I love how I can read your mind....)

It IS uplifting.... Read on!

God doesn't catagorize sin like human's do.  He used Saul-- a murder-- to become a leader for Him-- to bring people to Him.  What would have happened to Saul, to those Gentiles, to the Bible, to us,  if God hadn't forgiven Saul his sins?

Saul was the worst of the worst (a man who killed in the name of 'God')-- but became Paul, the best of the best.

All sins are equal in God's eyes, that true... but the good in that is that all forgiveness is equal as well!  We don't have to sacrifice a dove for lying and a hundred bulls for murder. Jesus died and came back for ALL sins.  "BIG and small"-- you just have to ask.

See, I told you it was uplifting!!!! 

Thank you, Lord, for forgiving my sins. 

God bless you :)

Kelly