Past is past, we all say. Many of us, however, think that because we have a troubled and ugly past, God won't want to use us anymore. In fact, many of us think that because we have lived an ungodly life, God wouldn't want anything to do with us.
Do these thoughts ring a bell? If they do, let me share something to you: They are all lies.
Redemptive love
We live in a world that judges us by what we did yesterday. We live in a world that teaches that our past determines our future, that our childhood defines our adulthood. We live in a world that keeps records of what we did wrong during our grade school, high school, and college days, so that we are always reminded of our foolish and often shameful past.
That's the world we live in.
The God who loves, however, is totally different. His ways and thoughts aren't like the world:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
God has a different approach to all of us. He is full of love for us, that while He saw every single thing we've ever done, He remained loving. In fact, He loved us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son to rescue us from our sins while we were sinning (see John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
Freed, not Condemned
Some of us, however, feel the weight of our past wearing us down. We think that God might have forgiven us, but still He condemns us for our sins. That's a lie, friends. In John 3:17, we are assured:
"God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Friends, before God saved us in Christ, what He had for us was love. Christ came to save the world, proving God's love for all of us sinners. Think about it: He came to a world full of sinful, ungodly people, just so that He could reveal to us God's love.
We weren't holy before Christ came. We weren't righteous before He was born of a virgin. We weren't Godly when He suffered at the hands of Pilate. We weren't good when He died on the cross. When He did all of this, we were all in sin.
His resurrection, however, paints a different picture.
His resurrection gives us hope for a new life, no matter who we were before we met Him. His resurrection gives us hope for a life with God, even though we used to live apart from Him. His resurrection gives us hope for a changed life no matter how sinful and ungodly we were.
His resurrection allows us to sit with Him and have fellowship with Him as we obey Him.
Come to Jesus
Friends, no matter what your past is, no matter how troubled or ugly it may be, no matter how shameful your past was, in Christ it's all forgiven. In Christ it's all redeemed. In Christ you're fully accepted, and if you'd repent, deny yourself, and follow Him, He'll make you like Him.
He'll turn your past into a story of triumph and redemption. He'll forget all your sins and heal your wounds so that you can declare His praise among the peoples. He'll show you what life you have been missing - the very life He prepared for you.
Come to Jesus, my friend. Come as you are.
