Fresh Start
Someone has used the phrase, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” I’m not sure where I heard this first, but there is so much truth in it. To me, it is saying I have lived all of my life up to today, and this begins the rest of my life.
Have there ever been times when you goofed up? Really bad? It may have seemed like the end of the world. Maybe you thought nothing could ever be as bad as this, and you would never recover from it. Go back and read this saying again. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Whatever happened in the past is now over, and you can begin again, make a fresh start. It’s all up to you as to whether you choose to do so.
Go back and think of David in the Old Testament. He was known as the man after God’s own heart. And he truly loved God. But after he became king of all of Israel, he saw a woman bathing on the roof of her house. He sent for her and had sexual relations with her. She was married to Uriah, and he was a soldier (one of David’s mighty men) serving in the military. She later sent David word she was going to have a child. He called Uriah home thinking he would go home to Bathsheba. But he would not. The next day David gave him strong drink and thought he would go home to his wife. But he did not. So, David sent a note to the commander of his army by Uriah and he was told to put him in the thick of the battle and withdraw from him. Uriah died. (2 Samuel 11)
Notice how horrible David had sinned. The Ten Commandments the Jews were to live by were in force at this time. The tenth commandment was “You shall not covet…” David coveted Uriah’s wife. The seventh commandment was “You shall not commit adultery.” The sixth commandment was, “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20) David broke every one of these commandments. David sinned. And yet, when David repented, he began over again. All of that was past, and God forgave him.
Each one of us have sinned as well (Romans 3:23). When we are willing to repent, which means to change directions, we can be forgiven as well. We must change our old way of living for one which the God in heaven is pleased with. We can start over. We can have a fresh start on the way we live our lives.
Does that mean there won’t be consequences? No. David and Bathsheba’s child would die. But he was able to live life knowing God still loved and forgave him, and so can you.
If you need to repent, do so. This is where the beginning again starts. Without this you cannot move forward. When you do “today will be the first day of the rest of your life.”