You've done it before. You've been caught red-handed. You know you're busted. It's over. There's no possible way out of this one. You know you did it, they know you did it and you're gonna get it. Pretty scary.You may have had that feeling when you read the Bible. It pointed something out ... something that convicted you. Uh-oh. You gulp. Am I in trouble? God seems pretty mad here, and what He's mad at ... I DO!
Maybe you haven't had that exact problem. Maybe you just live day to day feeling like less of a person. You won't admit it, but you get a little depressed. Deep down inside you might even hate yourself. I know. I have. For people your age, low self-esteem seems to be the norm. Everyone wants to put on the happy, cool face, but on the inside, you know it's a front. You feel useless, bad, wicked even. God must hate you like everyone else does (so you think). God can't use you. You're ... broken, below average. You haven't lived up to standards that you think make you worth anything.
Maybe you've read this verse.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,drunkenness, revellings, and such like ... they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom ofGod.
-Galatians 5:19-21
Well, what's the kingdom of God. It's salvation. It's the kingdom you live under when you get saved. WAIT! You've done at least some of those things up there. And, what about those big words? You don't even know what they are! What if you did those too? God says right there that you CAN'T INHERIT SALVATION?!!!
And what about this?
Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom ofGod.
-I Corinthians 6:9-10
Gulp. There it is again. You look at that and say, "Well, I guess I'm out. I'm some (maybe a lot) of those."
Read verse 11 of I Corinthians 6. You'll like it. Go ahead. Read.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Yea, that's right. YOU WERE, not are. You could NEVER inherit salvation! Jesus Christ gave it to you. YOU WERE, not are. YOU WERE, not are. Thank God, I WAS, but I'm not anymore! Get your mind out of the past. Get your mind out of your failures. YOU WERE! YOU WERE! YOU WERE! ... But you aren't anymore. Now, you're a child of God. Jesus took all that you were and became it for you so that today you can say, "I was that wicked man, but I'm not anymore." But, you say, I was bad just minutes ago! I still am.
Look at three points and then go play in the street.
1. You're washed.
It's all gone. Yesterday's failures, today's failures, tomorrow's failures. Everytime you fail look directly up at God and say, "Thank you, Jesus for paying for that sin." Don't get discouraged. Get excited. You've been washed clean.
2. You're sanctified.
God's moved on. He's set you apart for something great even though you don't know it yet. Every time you look down on yourself, God looks down and says, "Hey, gloomy, what are you so worried about? I forgot all that. I moved on. Catch up. I love you."
3. You're justified.
God's not only forgiven and moved on, but He also acts like it never happened in the first place. "Well, I know He forgave me, but I was just so bad (and still am sometimes) that He probably wants someone without a past." God says, "What past?" You say, "You know, with the sin." God says, "What sin?" You say, "All the junk I did! It was bad." God says, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just see Jesus' perfection all over you. You're ... well ... perfect."
I like God. He takes what I think is a useless "me" and makes it a valuable treasure.
You're no different.
This is great!
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