If we could turn back the hands of time, and still know what we know now, it would somehow be different. We wouldn’t make the mistakes we made. But would we make the one choice that would really change our life – the choice to give our life to God – the choice to lay down our life to Jesus Christ – the choice to be all in the Christ. If we made the mistake of trying to do it all differently by ourselves, we would not. By accepting Jesus as the Son of God, being the Word of God, and the Son of man, through the woman Mary, we can put on the new and change – not throw away the old. We cannot go back and put right the things that we have made wrong, but we can stop abusing ourselves because of the mistakes. We can start out clean and press on into a new life.
The sins of our past, over time, have become a wall that keeps us from God, but it cannot keep God from us. The promise of Jesus will find you inside the walls of sin and wash the wall away. But one must admit that they need help, seek help, and ask for help. Seek and you shall find; ask and it shall be open to you (see Matthew 7:7). The walls will come down and the same God who found you within the walls will be your strength. The promise of Jesus will come to you, and minister to you, and you will know God. When you are before the King, on His right hand, you will hear Him say, “Enter into My kingdom.” This is not only for a time that is tomorrow, but the kingdom of God now, on earth as it is in heaven. When you let the promise in, you let the kingdom in. The wall of sin is no longer your home, but the new unwalled city of our Lord.
As we look around us we still see the trials and troubles that came with our life, the one lived without God. Not that we were without God but we hide from Him, covering ourselves with sin. These too will pass if we do not make them greater than God. The sins of our past, having died with the old self and being washed away, can come back to us as ghosts from our past. They will trouble us, if we seek to fix them ourselves, without God. We also see the people we harmed and want to fix them. But they may not be so willing to open up to us. This we must also leave to God. A prophet is not without honor, except to his own (see Matthew 13:57). Those that knew the old you the best may have the most difficult time accepting the newness that dwells in you. It is a blessing when your family and close friends support your life in Christ, but reality is they don’t always. Pray for them and let God take care to care for them.
It sometimes seems easier to blame other for our sins. Sometimes when the wall of sin comes down, we replace it with the sins of others and cover ourselves with their guilt. But another’s sin is not ours nor is their guilt; what we have really pulled over us is the sin of unforgiveness. We have brought it on our self because we have not forgiven others. And unforgiveness brings with it self-righteousness. We attempt to overcome sin by standing on the sins of others. The misconception is, our righteousness is greater because our sins are less or because our sin is forgiven and theirs are not. Jesus has given to us a gift, the forgiveness of sins, we must also give the gift to others. We must forgive others or we will ourselves decline the gift of forgiveness. It is easier to give our sins to God and to let go of the sins of other, but it takes faith.
God glorified Himself in Jesus. Jesus gave all glory to the Father. When we are giving to God, we cannot stop at giving Him our trials and troubles. We must also give to Him the glory and joy. It does a soul good to praise and glorify God. It feels good to give God the glory and plant a seed in a brother or sister. For God to be gloried in us, our glory has a need to be of God.
If I take the praise and glory on myself, it is made of the weakness that is me without God. If I give the praise and glory to God, it is made of all that is God. In giving the glory to God, where it belongs, God’s glory is manifested in me. The glory of God is in His sons and daughters. Praise be to God for His life within us. Praise to God for the newness in our spirit. Praise to God for the forgiveness in our hearts. Praises and glory to God for and in the Son and the Holy Spirit.