Getting back to normal!
It’s good to be back. Hasn’t life been strange? In many ways, it continues to be so! But, having said all that we need to get on with life even if things are different and we don’t quite know what the future holds. We never really were sure about the future but our focus has been sharpened by recent events. How we live our lives is vitally important. There are principles that guide each one of us. These could be positive or negative guidelines by which we live our lives. If we will live by God’s principles, we can expect to see His favour and blessing. If we live by what ‘seems good to us’ it can often take us down a path we would later regret. Have you ever considered what the principles are by which you should live your life? The earlier we discover and apply these, the better, but it is never too late to begin!
Principle No 1 – You can be forgiven
We can and need to receive forgiveness from God. ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ Because Jesus paid for our sins in full; we can know what it means to be forgiven. ‘He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.’ God is willing to remove our sin from us. ‘As far as the east is from the west’, so far is He willing to remove them from us.
Why does the Bible say, ‘as far as the East is from the West?’ Why did does it not say as far as the North is from the South? This is one great picture of God’s love. The North and South pole are definite points. You can go to those spots. But there is no East or West pole. When you get there, you can still go further to the East. So, in a very real sense, when God says, ‘as far as the East is from the West’ He means that He has totally and forever removed our sins, they are not coming back to haunt us.
Principle No 2 – You need to forgive others
Forgiveness is not just something we receive; it is also something we can give! How often we long for mercy for ourselves and our mistakes but we demand justice when others make mistakes or do us harm. Our lives should be guided by the principle of receiving forgiveness and extending forgiveness. Perhaps there is an area in your life now or in the past that you need to bring to God and ask Him to forgive. Do it now! Perhaps there is someone that you have not really forgiven, and you still carry an IOU note in your head. It’s time to take a moment and extend forgiveness to them. Do it now!
Principle No 3 – Don’t live worrying about tomorrow
Many people live worried about tomorrow or the future and in the process, they miss the moment they have in front of them. We should consciously enjoy every day. We should live today as if it was our last day. Jesus said ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’
God is a faithful God. He wants to be your faithful God. His word tells us that His mercies are new every morning. We need to live with the knowledge that each day we can start afresh and receive His new mercies. Don’t drag your past mistakes, failures and disappointments from yesterday into today.
Principle No 4 – You can express who you really are
Many of us need help to express our feelings in healthy and creative ways. Learn from the life of the Lord Jesus. When He was sad, He wept. When He was angry, He expressed his feelings. Sometimes He did this by what He said but when He found the money changers ripping people off in the temple, He made a whip and drove them out. What we need to remember, however, is always to speak and act the truth in love.
Principle No 5 – Put God first in your life
Last and most important of all, learn to put God first in your life and seek his guidance and help for every area of your life. Learn how to pray effectively by praying honestly and truthfully. Ask God to confront you with the truth about yourself. If you are serious about this, God will show you; but be prepared because it usually takes pain to break through our defences. Remember as God’s Word says, ‘The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth,’ Psalm 145:18.
Living these principles out in your life will change your life forever. However, they will only really work when you realise who God is, who Jesus is, why He died and that He lives today having died for our sins and come back from the dead.
When you turn to God from your sin He is ready to forgive and bless you with the eternal life He created you to know.