A New Beginning

 

We are finishing a year and beginning a new one, and as for me, this year of 2013 was the best of my life. When I say the best, I say it in the sight of Heaven, concerning how God sees and how our life and works are being written in the books of Heaven, in how we are sowing seeds for eternity, seeking to enter in our full destiny in God.

This does not mean that I lived a perfect life in 2013, without any kind of errors. This does not happen, because in our present state, with a non glorified bodies, we are still subjected to error; however, as we already said in another article, the question is not to err, but what will be our posture when the make a mistake: or we will learn with them, in order to not repeat them again, or we will remain in the same state, which will lead us to spiritual stagnation.

We must remember that God in not only a God of remission (forgiveness) but He is also a God of redemption. This means that if we repent (change our mind) and be converted (change our direction and attitudes) when the make a mistake, God will restore and fix the consequences of our errors. God is the God of a new chance and of a new beginning.

The apostle Peter experienced this truth. After he denied Jesus, he became so discouraged with himself that his first attitude was leave full time ministry, returning to his previous office of fisherman (John 21.3).

But the Lord Jesus did not give up His plan and purposes for him. Let us paraphrase a little the conversation between Jesus and Peter, as we read John 21.15 in koine Greek. When Peter was before the Lord again, the Lord asked him:  “Peter, do you recognize that you have not loved me with the love of God?” (John 21.15). Then, Peter responded: “Yes, Lord, I recognize that I have not loved you with the Love of God, only with a natural affection”. Then, what the Lord answered? Did Jesus answer, “Peter, you’re fired; you are disqualified for full time ministry”? No!! On the contrary, Jesus responded:  “Peter, now that you recognize your error, I promote you: feed (spiritually) my lambs (the new believers)”.

It is interesting to note that the same way Peter denied Jesus three time, so the Lord made him confess three times his error, not with the intention to punish or reproach him, but through his confession of repentance, He could not only restore him to his previous position, but much more than that, He could promote him, given him the charge to feed the new believers and shepherd the mature believers of the flock of God.

This is the nature of our God, if He finds sincere repentance and conversion, He does not reprove nor disqualify, but He restores, redeems and promotes.

Why are we writing these things? The message is that we can go to the Lord in repentance concerning the areas we missed the mark in 2013, and we can position ourselves before Him so that He can fix the consequences of our errors, restore, redeem and promote, so that we will no longer will repeat those errors in 2014, but we will go forward to the new of God, to a new beginning, living for pleasing Him much more.

If we do that, 2014 will be, in the sight of Heaven, a much better year than 2013.

 

Rogerio Clavello
 

 

Tags:  A New Beginning, John 21, Peter Restoration, Repentance, Redemption.

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