A New Thing

When anyone becomes a Christian, it’s easy to become despondent when suddenly things go wrong. The dreams you had of walking in Jesus’s footsteps and showing others what He’s like can quickly turn sour when you lose your temper or do something you later regret.

When this happens, don’t give up or despair. It’s easy to think, “I’m not good enough. I’m supposed to be a Christian, and I’ve really messed up. What will people think?†Or, “Does this mean I won’t go to heaven? Have I blown it? Should I give up now?â€

However, this is the wrong mindset. Yes, we are given a fresh start and a new heart when we put our trust in Jesus. But this does not for one minute mean we will become perfect in this life. Perfection is impossible, because ever since the first humans sinned by going their own way against God, we are all broken and flawed. Our sin separates us from God, and this is why we need Jesus. We don’t have the capacity to be perfect on our own.

What we do have is an advocate who acts as the mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:5). When Jesus was born and lived among us as a human, He brought hope to the world. For generations, God’s people had been looking forward to the Messiah—the promised rescuer. When Jesus died and rose back to life, He made a way for us to be in relationship with God. And when Jesus returns, all His forgiven followers will be totally restored from all brokenness. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, His perfect love covers all our imperfections.

So when we mess up, God doesn’t want us to berate ourselves and just feel terrible. Rather, His Word says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret†(2 Corinthians 7:10). When we fall short, God invites us to take a step back, acknowledge our weaknesses and wrongdoing, and admit that we need Him. Through His Holy Spirit, God helps Christians daily to repent and follow Him. Even though we will continue to mess up until Jesus returns, God still works through our lives to help others. We can be free to follow God out of love, knowing that our eternal life with Him is secure, not because of what we do, but because of what Jesus did. • Cindy Lee

• We are not perfect. Trying to be perfect causes pain. How might remembering that Jesus covers our imperfections help us come to Him when we fall short?

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Isa.43.5-Isa.43.28|Isa.44.1-Isa.44.5|2Cor.5.17-2Cor.5.21