Have you ever wished that you could start over? Maybe it was when you were in school…although there is no way that I would want to ever go back. It was bad enough the first time! Who would want to go back to the place where you were the shortest in the school, and receiving wedgies was a natural, common occurrence? Others wish that they could start over and make a different decision, before they entered into a relationship. Is there something that you have either said or done, where you wish that there was some way you could do it over—differently?
I have a game for my phone that I love called “Angry birds”. In this game your object is to sling-shot different birds into various styles of buildings that pigs have made…crashing the buildings on the pigs and swishing them. Sounds real mature, huh? This game has helped me pass a lot of time while I was in the waiting rooms… The thing about this game is, after I shoot the first bird, I can always tell if I'm going to clear the level or not. So if the first bird doesn't do enough damage, or hit the right part of the building, then I hit the reset button. Wouldn't it be great if we knew when we were going to fail in life? Or better yet, BEFORE all hope is lost, and the words “Fail” shows up on our screen…we could hit a reset button!
What do you see when you look back at your life? I pray that you are not full of regrets. Are there things that you should have done, but didn't? Are there people that you need to forgive? Here is a little good news for you. In reality…you do get to start over! If you become a Christian—you get a fresh start. 2 Cor 5:17 tells us: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; the old has gone, the NEW has come!”
Past failures, mistakes, regrets that we carry—all are cleared away! Have you ever watched the Home Makeover show? It's the one with the guy on energy drinks, who yells through a megaphone. When they give someone a home makeover—it's really not actually a make-over…it's a new home when they are done. They don't just repair the house, giving it a new paint job, etc. They come in, destroy the existing structure and then they build a new house. The same is true for us. God makes us into a new creation. We need to live like we are new. Are there things that you should have done? Then do them now. Are there people you need to forgive? What are you waiting for?
Try to think of your new life in Christ as a blank piece of paper. There are no smudges, white-out marks, or mistakes on this page. This blank page can represent new opportunities for you. You decide which path to take. Look at what John says: Jer 6:16 This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
“Ask for the ancient paths”??? This means that you and I should find out which path led the people who went before us—to happiness. In other words, we need to learn from their example. Do you have someone that you look up to spiritually? Learn from them. Learn what it is about them that make them who they are in Christ. Maybe you feel today that you need a fresh start. Some may need help pushing the reset button. God will forgive you. It's time to move on from your failures. No one really knows the future, but you can know the ONE who holds it. Know this and believe in this promise today: Php 1:6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Blessings to You,
Pastor Ray
