2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
I thought of a question this last week and it has really stuck with me, “Does your past define you or remind you?” It probably doesn’t make a lot of sense without some explanation so lets jump into what it means but as we do think honestly about how you would answer the question.
Does your past define you? We all have a past. I am sure in each of our past we have some wonderful things and some things not so wonderful. We each probably have some things we like to remember and hold on to and some things we wish we could forget and not have to think about. It is sad but too often we let our past define us. Maybe growing up you acted a certain way and so people saw you in that way and continue to. You have taken on the persona because it is just “who you are.” Maybe you have made some mistakes that people label you with, teenage parent, divorced, drunk, the list could go on and on. Maybe you have sins in your past that you have committed that just weigh on you and you can’t get past. If either is the case you are letting others or yourself define you because of your past.
Let me tell you there is someone who tries to get you to let the past define you and that is satan. He would like nothing more than you to see yourself based on your sins and failures. When he can do this he has you right where he wants you. He can keep you in a place of shame and guilt. A place where you feel like you can never change who you are to who you wish you could be.
That change can happen. You can overcome the mistakes of your past. This can be done by the power of Jesus Christ! When Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day he paid the penalty for your sins and mine, for everyone. He paid the price for all sins past, present and future. Because of the sacrifice he made for us we can read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and hold on to a wonderful promise, “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” You are a new person when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Your past is GONE! You do not have to let it define you anymore. Galatians 3:26 tells us, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” When God looks at us he doesn’t see the sins we have committed he sees us a righteous. Not because of anything we have done but because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us! How awesome is that!
Lets go back to our original question, “does your past define you or remind you?” If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior our hope your past is just a reminder of how much God loves you and the wonderful gift of salvation he gave you! It is a remind that you are a new creation, that the old you is GONE!
If you are saved and study the Bible you know that having a personal relationship with Jesus means you will spend eternity in Heaven with him. When we think of our past we should also be reminded of our future. We should have joy because of the promise we have of eternity with our Lord and Savior. It should also remind us that not only does everyone have a past, everyone also has a future. When need to remember that there are people who are defined by their past, that haven’t accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We need to reach out to them and share the change he made in our life with them! We need to show them how their past doesn’t have to define them!