Freedom — From Your Former Life – Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Galatians 1:13
For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. (ESV)
One of my primary roles in ministry is to sit with people and listen to their stories. It is one of my greatest joys.
The variety of “former lives” I’ve heard is remarkable. Addiction. Idolatry. Infidelity. Bloodthirst. Pagan worship. Demonic activity. Abuse. Trauma. Loss. Depression. Spiritual apathy. Doubt. Confusion. The list could go on.
Some of the stories I’ve been told would put the last movie you saw to shame, not because of the depth of people’s darkness, but because of the level of freedom they’ve gained in Christ. I’ve sat with victims of abuse who are genuinely heartbroken and grieved at the spiritual trajectory of their abuser. I’ve listened to those saved from addiction make plans to reach out to the people who first introduced them to the very substances that almost prematurely ended their lives. I have friends who have committed the taboo sins of our cultural moment who eagerly jump at every opportunity to share how Christ redeemed them from the pit of their shame.
Sitting with countless people who can confidently share what Christ has done in their lives, despite their mistakes or pain, has helped me make sense of why Paul is so comfortable addressing his former life. His former life was not a reason for him to hide in his inadequacy, but rather to boast in Christ’s sufficiency. Because of the gospel, he could address crowds of people well aware of his past and basically say, “The transformation you see in me is not the result of any message from man or this world. And it is not because of anything I did on my own strength. I am changed because I had a direct encounter with Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
For those of you who question whether or not your “former life” is redeemable… it is. Any voice that says otherwise is not from God. But your redemption will not be birthed by anything created; it can only come through the hands of our Creator. My prayer for you is that you would have the courage to surrender your wounds into the hands of our Father that He might (1) heal them and (2) use them, as He has countless times in the lives of His saints both old and new as a source of healing and salvation for someone else.
APPLICATION
If there is something from your “former life” that you are still holding on to, release it to God in prayer and process it in community with others.
If there is a wound in your past that you sense could be a real source of healing for someone else in your life, ask God to give you the chance to share His goodness with that person and wait expectantly for the opportunity to arise.
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PRAYER
Father, thank You for the reality of Your redemption. Help us grow the courage to boast in our weaknesses so that Your strengths may be on full display to the bystanders of our lives.