"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through Him might be saved."
John 3:17
God always confirms His words...
world; but that the world through Him might be saved."
John 3:17
God always confirms His words...
In my previous journal entry, I wrote how the Lord has been reminding me, as He has done so often, to move on with my life. That I am to leave the past in His hands, and not remain enslaved by it. In Christ's kingdom, there is no place for soul-crushing guilt, nor beating oneself up over his bad choices.
For those like myself who have placed their faith in Jesus and on the sacrifice of Himself on the cross, the shame which resulted from those sins has been replaced with the peace and joy of experiencing God's forgiveness. And with this also comes learning how to forgive oneself. This, I believe, is where the challenge lies.
God's forgiveness of my sins and crimes came the very moment I repented of those things and asked Jesus to come into my heart. But to forgive myself has been an issue. And I also think the greater the damage done to others because of one's sinful actions, the harder self-forgiveness can be.
Yet, I know I have made great personal progress in this area. And I will continue to make progress because, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength" (Philippians 4:13).
My life did not end when I came to prison. Our lives, I believe, are like a book. We each write a chapter at a time. When one chapter comes to an end, another begins. With me, and I say this in humility, God is not done with me yet. He has more work for me to do. If I did not believe this, there would be no purpose for me to go on living.
D.B.
For those like myself who have placed their faith in Jesus and on the sacrifice of Himself on the cross, the shame which resulted from those sins has been replaced with the peace and joy of experiencing God's forgiveness. And with this also comes learning how to forgive oneself. This, I believe, is where the challenge lies.
God's forgiveness of my sins and crimes came the very moment I repented of those things and asked Jesus to come into my heart. But to forgive myself has been an issue. And I also think the greater the damage done to others because of one's sinful actions, the harder self-forgiveness can be.
Yet, I know I have made great personal progress in this area. And I will continue to make progress because, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength" (Philippians 4:13).
My life did not end when I came to prison. Our lives, I believe, are like a book. We each write a chapter at a time. When one chapter comes to an end, another begins. With me, and I say this in humility, God is not done with me yet. He has more work for me to do. If I did not believe this, there would be no purpose for me to go on living.
D.B.
RSS Feed