Sheila Walsh, Author of "Outrageous Love" said, " The outrageous message was not, " I forgive you, so go and do whatever you want." Neither was it, "Because of how you have lived there is no forgiveness." The glorious message. God's great surprise, was that everything about us is known to Him and can be forgiven through Christ's sacrifice, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live differently.
God knows our past, our present and our future. He doesn't care how messy or complicated we think our lives are, and he doesn't hold our bad choices against us. He loves us with an unfailing love that we as humans can't even begin to physically grasp. He was there when we screwed up and he'll be there through worse times. When we're in the valleys of our faith or on the mountain tops, God's love never runs dry. However, this doesn't mean that we should use this unfailing love as a crutch or an excuse. We should revere God with a respect greater than all respects and be filled with thankfulness for this undeserving love we're given. The Lord not only will allow us to repent, but he gives us a chance to live differently. During my stay in Kenya, God has taught me that the" living differently" part is really important. Anyone can ask for freedom and forgiveness from sin, but who can turn away from it completely? What person can take their mistakes and in spite of them, change their lives for the better? Not only are we supposed to live differently in terms of our sinful nature, but we, as Christians are called to a different life in general. It says in the bible to live as Christ did. In what way is that considered normal? It's not. And yet, it's still good. We might be persecuted because of it, but blessed is the man who is persecuted in the name of the Lord.It can be scary to step out in faith and to raise your voice, but imagine what you could change because of it. Living differently is not easy, and it's not a very specific term; it's different for all of us. But whatever it means to you, do it. Step out into that different life and at the very lleast you'll be changed.
