Titus 3:4-5a – But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (NIV)

I make mistakes constantly. One would think that after living for just over six decades, I would be full of so much wisdom that I would never do anything incorrect again, but the older I get, the more I repeat the same mistakes, even though I should know better. I say something out loud when I should have kept silent. I do something wrong and don't want to apologize for it. I hurt someone's feelings and find it difficult to accept the blame. I rush into a situation and look to fix it before thinking of the consequences. In other words, I am still the same old me, foolish and unwise, inconsistent and inconsiderate.

Thankfully, I believe in a Saviour who knows me completely and who is still willing to forgive me and work on my defects. Whenever I am wrong, His Spirit afflicts my conscience. When I make a mistake, He helps me to recognize my fault and seek the right remedy for the sinful situation that I have caused. I wish I were more righteous and less self-righteous. I pray that I can be a better person and less of an erratic Christian. I guess that for the rest of my life, I will be imperfect, so I will always depend on the kindness and love of God to get me through my days and lead me into eternity.

Any of my achievements or accomplishments, good deeds or acts of love are solely the result of God's mercy and grace acting in my life. I cannot rely upon them to earn the blessings of salvation for me. Basically, this is why I am so grateful for being a Christian: without Christ's forgiveness, I would be separated from God forever; without Christ's mercy, I would never be able to look forward to being in God's kingdom.

Perhaps, you've made a mistake that you deeply regret. Maybe, you can't forgive yourself for something that caused a lot of hurt and pain to someone else. Perhaps, you let someone down in a very big way and are now ashamed of your inaction or misdeed. Whatever the situation or circumstances, please know this: God's love and kindness are still available for you; Christ's mercy and grace are still offered to you.

Points to ponder: What has been the biggest mistake of my life? How can Jesus help me to heal and deal with it?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we call You Saviour because You rescue us from the mistakes that we have made and from the sins of our lives. We know that we are imperfect and unworthy, so we cling to Your kindness and love which can renew our lives and restore us to Yourself. Help us to be healed of the past, so that we may look forward to a future where Your favour blesses our souls. In Your holy name, we humbly confess and pray. Amen.

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About the author:

John Stuart <traqair@aol.com>
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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