Have
you ever completely messed up, making what feels like the biggest mistake of
your life?
Have
you ever felt like crawling under a rock and hiding away from the world or
worse wanting to die because of a bad decision? Have you felt like that mistake
has defined you and you are marked for life as a result?
You
are in good company, because the reality is we all have. But where you go and
what you do with it is what really defines you. The world loves to label
people, criticize and finally judge them without apology.
Popular
labels today include: Divorced, drug addict, depressed, ugly, fat, poor,
stupid, no hoper, loner, nerd, dumb, weak, player, looser, hooker, reject,
failure and more. But this is not how God sees us.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Brothers, think of what you were when you
were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were
influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of
the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame
the strong.
God’s
love for us is not based on what we do or what we achieve. It is based on who
we are in relationship with Him. Regardless of what you do, nothing will change
the fact that you are His son/daughter in Christ. You are a son/daughter worthy
of honour, therefore behave honourably.
Christianity
is a faith of total forgiveness and freedom from all our mistakes. Don’t let
any label or mistake keep you from this reality and believing otherwise. God
knows we are not perfect and will fall in the future – that is why His Grace
and Mercy are new everyday!
Hebrews 4:14-15 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not
have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted
as we are, yet without sin.
In the depth of your
sin God understands and still loves you unconditionally. He sees the why behind
the what. He sees the brokenness within you which you are trying to fill with
things that never satisfy. He sees only the good in you and the potential that
you can become!
Jesus never did sin, but He knows what it is like to have a
craving that is almost overwhelming, a desire to escape reality. Every
temptation that we will ever face in our lives, Jesus faced a similar
temptation, yet without ever yielding to sin. When you have need of mercy, you
need to consider Jesus and run to that throne of grace.
For many years as a
Christian I was bound in condemnation, guilt and shame when I made a mistake. When
I messed up in my world or faith, I would avoid social gatherings and stay
depressed for weeks on end. I was bound in legalism and it took the saving
grace of God to set me free.
It hasn’t been easy but
when I fall I choose to no longer stay in guilt and shame. I go directly to
God, confess what I have done and receive His Grace and Mercy. It is no longer
my ability to stay perfect but Christ and the power of God’s grace. When you
fall, pick something up – God’s Grace!
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need.
We serve
a God who sits on a throne of Grace, not judgement and condemnation. One of the
greatest promises in the Bible is that we can come directly to God with
confidence in our time of need. To receive forgiveness, grace and mercy, any time,
any day.
To receive mercy we are advised to come boldly. Hebrews 4:16
makes it clear, “Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need.” This
phrase means “to approach frankly, bluntly, candidly, truthfully, and with
confidence.” When the Bible talks about coming boldly before the throne of
grace, it means “to come with a transparent honesty.”
This is a person who comes to God and says, “Life has brought me
to the very end of my rope, and I’m losing my grip. I need mercy from You or I
am not going to make it.”
Believe
today that GOD IS FOR YOU and never against you. He loves you unconditionally
regardless of anything you ever do. He sees beyond your flaws and next weeks
sin and sees your future potential, not the mistakes of yesterday and today.
God
believes in you and is more excited and passionate about your future than you
are! Receive His grace and mercy in your time of need and move on into all that
God has for you.
