Learning to let Go: How to live by grace and be free of guilt.
Rom 8:1-2
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
I have been writing devotionals for 15 years now and it is
still so hard for me to understand the character of God. In a world of so many extremes it is hard to understand that we serve a God who is perfectly balanced in everything. He is perfectly just and yet will not let sin go unpunished…. But he is abounding and love and his mercy endures forever. He never takes lightly the sins we commit but he never stops treating us as children when we commit them. God loves us enough to discipline us because he desires us to become more like him because he knows that joy can be found in him alone. I sometimes forget that Gods discipline comes from a heart of grace not from a heart of vengeance. God doesn’t punish us because he put the punishment on his son and all our sins are paid for. Yet, how often do we live lives of regret because of the sins of our past that we cannot change. I am not saying that sin doesn’t have consequences or that we shouldn’t have remorse…. But I am saying today is a brand new day and you don’t have to feel condemned for what happened yesterday. Jesus didn’t come to save the righteous but to lead sinners to repentance. Don’t ever try to straighten your life out first before coming to Jesus…. Come to Jesus and he will straighten your life out. It will take time and you will never be sinless because as long as we still have the flesh we will at times yield to it. Don’t be discouraged or overcome with guilt but take your sins to your father and ask him for help. God loves it when his children cry out for his aid and admit they can’t do it on their own. He never gets tired of hearing “I need you please help me”. A lot of preachers say “you need to have the right motives before you come to God in prayer” but I say having impure motives is evidence that you need to spend more time in prayer. You want to have victory over sin then the best thing to do is to spend time with God. Sometimes when I pray I start out with really selfish motives but by the end I realize it and God begins to change my heart and even what I pray for can change. I also know many people who are convinced that they can’t be used by God because they still have some serious struggles with certain sins... and while some sins can keep you out of leadership roles for a time…. You should never believe the lie that “because I have committed this sin I can’t be used by God”…. As long as you still have pulse God has a plan for you and he will use you. The fathers of our faith are a litany of very messed up people who God chose to use despite how little they had to offer.
My friends, there is no freedom in living a life of regret nor
will it bring you peace or make you have a closer walk with God. It is ok to accept the consequence of our sins but it is sin to let it keep you from trusting that God will work it for his good. You want to change then make a decision today that you are not going to live condemned but free in Christ. Spend time with God and seek his help and he will give it. He never turns his back on his children nor does he forget them in their times of despair. A runner doesn’t quit the race because he has fallen into a pit… he ask for help and he continues. Everybody has scars and we all fall but the people who change the world are the ones who keep running. Maybe you’re not as holy as you need to be or maybe your inconsistent in your faith and keep struggling with the same sin and you feel like things will never change…… Well if you believe they can’t change then they probably won’t. But if you believe you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength then you can overcome it by his grace. Don’t give up or be discouraged but press on. God doesn’t hate you… he loves you and if you have wandered he wants to bring you back. In closing I will leave you with the immortal words of Winston Churchill “Never, ever, ever, ever give up”.
About the Author: I am a Birmingham attorney who has been in private practice for over six years. I have a general practice, so I get the opportunity to help serve people who find themselves in some very difficult circumstances. My e-mail is reidfirm@gmail.com. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it encourages you. I always love getting thoughtful comments, so please email those to me. My website is www.reidlawalabama.com. If you know anyone who is going through a difficult situation whether it be legal or personal and they are in Birmingham area you can e-mail me at chris.reid@reidlawalabama.com. Our firm works with some excellent faith based counselors, many of whom are free or low cost. A lot of the times the legal issues people face are due to deeper underlying issues like substance abuse and other things. I have found the most effective form of treatment is getting a personally qualified counselor who helps get to the root of the issues someone is dealing with, and we will help people get connected for free (we never take a payment for referral fee for this). Again my website is www.reidlawalabama.com, which contains my contact information. God Bless.