“God does all these things to a person— twice, even three times—
to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.”
– Job 33:29-30 (NIV)
Daily Meditation: Job 33, 2 Peter 3
The cup of coffee began to tip. I could see it sliding off the corner of the end table, heading straight down toward the white carpet. My muscles tensed, my hands reached out in slow motion to grab it, but the splash was three feet long before I arrived. Oh, HOW I wished I could replay those few seconds or hit a “backspace” button like the one on my computer. But the coffee seeping into the carpet made it terribly clear that there would be no do-over.
Thankfully, the painful reality of not being able to go back and do something over again does not impact our relationship with God. He is patient with us. God’s heart is always to “turn them back from the pit(s)” that we often lead ourselves into. After all, isn’t that what salvation is? The Lord doesn’t want us to live in sin, separated from him. Through the death of his Son, Jesus, he made a way for us to be in a relationship with him that gives us not only a chance for a do-over, but an opportunity for a brand new life.
We get more than a do-over, we get to start over! We’re human. We mess up. And as hard as we try to be perfect and not make any mistakes, sometimes our sin nature gets in the way. We’ll get coffee stains and dirty smudges all over ourselves throughout our lives, but God continually reaches down to us and wipes away the mess, making us clean and new every day! What an amazing God we serve!
“If you are God’s child, you are no longer bound to your past or to what you were.
You’re a new creature in Jesus Christ.”
– Kay Arthur
The fact that God is patient with us should be one of our constant praises back to him—not just once, but continuously! The best opportunity we’ve ever been given for a do-over is through Jesus.
Let’s let 2019 be the year we grow closer to the Lord and become the fearless, strong, and faithful woman we are meant to be in Him! In Be Fearless, Julie Clinton provides a scripturally-sound guide for finding freedom, purpose, joy… and fearlessness. Be Fearless is now available in our store! https://www.aacc.net/product/be-fearless/ Consider working through Be Fearless with another extraordinary woman or group this year!
Julie Clinton, MAd, MBA, is president of Extraordinary Women and host of EWomen conferences all across America. She is the author of several books including A Woman’s Path to Emotional Freedom, 10 Things You Aren’t Telling Him, and Extraordinary Women. She is passionate about seeing women live out their dreams by finding their freedom in Christ. Julie and her husband, Tim, live in Virginia with their children, Megan and Zach.