Turnaround

Hello All,

Was there ever a time when you wished for the clock to unwind a few hours back so that you could have a second chance to undo a mistake, a promise or perhaps a bad choice made?

Have you ever wished you could tap that imaginary rewind button of your circumstances, delete past regrets and record the decisions you wished you have made instead?

I am sure we have all felt this way before. I know I definitely have...

Turnaround

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (23^rd June 2012)

Why should Christ die for a wretched sinner like me?

I can give no answer to that profound mystery

His saving grace and mercy I do not deserve

Nothing goes deeper than the depth of his love

Too many times I have stumbled into sin

There are paths I wished I have never walked in

Boundaries I wished I have not crossed

For sin's consequences bear too high a cost

Time after time God has given me a second chance

To turn around and find forgiveness in his arms

For Christ has taken the penalty for my sins

He will now give me the strength to live for him

Points for Reflection:

·         Although it is a solid fact that we are unable to turn back time and undo the past, there is one thing that Christ has reversed for us on the cross - the penalty for our sins. Christ has borne our sins and because of that, we are made righteous before a holy God. Therefore, we are adopted as God's beloved children and are given new life in him.

Ephesians 2:4-5:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

       

·         However, after receiving God's forgiveness for our sins, we are still imperfect humans with flaws and are  prone to sin, be it in our actions, words or even thoughts. But the good news is, each time we sin against God, Christ's atoning death on the cross gives us second chances to truly repent, be resolute in making a U-turn from our sinful ways with the help of the Holy Spirit and start afresh. That does not mean that we are given the license to freely indulge in sin and then just say a mere sorry to God but we are to make the conscious effort to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our combat against sin.

1 John 1:9:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Corinthians 7:10

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

       

·         Are there any sinful ways which you have not turned away from? Ask God to give you the strength to turn away from them and follow him whole-heartedly.

Ephesians 4:22-24:

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.