KEY SCRIPTURE: Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

RELEVANCE

Aren't we fortunate that Jesus doesn't judge us for our past? Too often, we judge ourselves for our former lives, forgetting that the blood of Jesus changed it all and changed our future. How much time do you spend dwelling on your past?  

Jesus changed the lives of many Bible characters as miraculously as He has changed yours. 

• Saul changed from a religious zealot to Paul, the bible's greatest apostle.  

• Rahab. From harlot to the lineage of Jesus Christ Himself.  

• Nicodemus. From religious priest to believer.  

• Peter. From a high-spirited follower of God to a humbled close friend of Christ.  

• The Thief on the Cross. From a basic nobody ready to die an undignified death to someone whose story has helped more people than we will ever know. 

• Zacchaeus. From a white-collar criminal tax collector to a repentant Christian who denounced his former life and riches for a place with Jesus and whose story is told in every Sunday School.  

 Forget about your past. Everybody has one. Some are better than yours, while others are worse.

However, every one of those former lives was lived in sin and fell short of the glory of God. 

Instead of going back, let's stoke the fires of zeal in the Holy Spirit, get on with the new life, and praise God for His goodness and mercy.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank you for giving me a new life in Christ with new thoughts, a new heart, and a new desire for servanthood.