“And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”(Romans 6:21-23).
“…but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us…But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example…We are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are waiting for him to return as our savior. He will take our weak and mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under control” (Philippians 3:13-21)
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor” (James 4:7-10).
We must believe that if Almighty God forgets our past, then we are also given that freedom. The idea in Philippians 3 is that we must KEEP MOVING FORWARD. In James 4, it is made clear that it is right for us to weep over our mistakes. It is right to regret our mistakes. It is not right to dwell in the past. Paul said that we must hold on to our progress! Romans 6 reveals that we are no longer slaves to sin, and no longer slaves to our failures. We are free to live unashamed and forgiven.
Karyn Pugh
Student at FWBBC: Nashville, TN
PRAY TOGETHER: Is there a missionary who needs encouragement today? Pray the Lord will direct you to one you could encourage.
