Ready:
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come."
-2 Corinthians 5:17
Set:
Being a soccer player and longtime fan of the sport, I get excited every four years when the World Cup roles around. This year it seems that there are more people watching the competition. One of my teachers had the game on at school during the United States' crushing loss to the Czech Republic. For the rest of the day people kept coming up to me and commenting about the team's poor performance. It bothered me to see people who had never followed the sport making such judgmental comments after watching the team play only once. I didn't think that it was fair for them to pass judgment after watching a single competition.
That's when it dawned on me that it's the same way in our walks with Christ. We aren't defined by one event in our lives, whether it be victory or defeat. Those things are only temporary. People often get stuck on a single mistake that they've made and believe that Jesus could never forgive them of such an awful sin, but that is just not the case. Psalm 103:12 says that "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." When you make a commitment to Jesus Christ and hand your life over to Him, He wipes the slate clean. You're a "new creation."
This goes for our everyday walks with Christ, too. Don't let a single sin drag you down. Acknowledge that you've made a mistake, confess it to the Lord, make reparations where they are needed, and make a valid effort to rid yourself of that sin.
While I was obviously disappointed with the United States' loss, I just kept telling people that in the future, they should watch more games before passing judgment. The U.S. may not be the best team on the turf, but in its existence, U.S. soccer has grown tremendously, and I truly believe that it will impress many people in the future.
Go:
1. Can you think of a time when you based your entire worth on a single event?
2. Have you ever judged others based on a single event or action?
3. What measures can we take to get this message to those who are still without Christ?
Workout:
Romans 8:1-17
Hebrews 8:12
1 John 1:9