My past is ugly. Many of the days behind me are marred by sin, shame, and impurity. Failures are scibbled across the days of calendar pages lived and discarded. My heart bares the scars of indescretion and carries the weight of my guilt.
At my best, I was clothed in filthy rags. The highest asperation I could attain to was to be a chief of sinners. On my best day I was inadequate. In my finest hour I was still broken. With my best effort, I was still a failure.
If anyone wishes to measure me by who I was, he or she would easily conclude I am of no value to anyone or to God's Kingdom.
But I am so thankful my past does not define me. My past does not dictate my present or my future. I am not bound by who I was.
Praise be to God that he did not call me for who I was. No, he called me for who I could become in Christ. I am not who I was. "I have been crucified with Christ." The life I now live I live for Christ Jesus who transforms me daily.
One of the greatest victories the cross has won for us is the liberation from our past. We are no longer defined by who we were. Our past no longer holds leverage on our future. We are free from the power of former sin and failure. We are free to "forget those things which are behind and press on towards the high call of God" for our lives.
I am truly thankful that Jesus didn't choose me or call me based on who I was but on who he is.
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