Reboot Your Life

Create in me a clean heart, O God; 

and renew a right spirit within me.  

Psalm 51:10

“This stupid computer keeps freezing up!” Andy shouted and kicked away from his desk, throwing his hands into the air. “I hate computers! Now I have to call the geek squad again.” 

Dan set his coffee cup carefully on the edge of the desk and peered at his co-worker’s screen. “Restart it,” he suggested. 

Andy frowned. “Nah, that won’t work. I probably need to throw this away and buy a new one.” 

Dan shrugged. “It’s your money, but I’d restart it. Sometimes it just needs a fresh start and it will work like new.” 

Andy frowned at his co-worker, but did as he suggested. In moments, his computer was working perfectly. 

Dan tried not to look smug as he picked up his cup. “Yep. Thought so. Just needed a fresh start. Wish I could reboot like that.”

Psalm 51:10 tells us that we can. Our lives get a reboot when we confess our sin and turn away from it. Like computers, our lives collect garbage that weighs us down and freezes our relationship with God. Sometimes the past seems overwhelming and we feel stuck in a sea of bad decisions. We have no way to free ourselves, so we give up, assuming we are worthless. But God doesn’t give up on us. Like Dan, He suggests, “Restart it.” We restart our lives when we bring our mess to Him and agree to obey Him. He erases the stains on our hearts and replaces despair with hope. He renews our thinking and helps us move on.

Does your life need a reboot? Confess your sin to God and agree to do things His way. He gives fresh starts.

Prayer: Father, I feel like that computer. I feel frozen by my past and current sins. But your word says you can free me and make me new. I surrender it all to you now. Take this sin from me, cleanse my heart, and renew me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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The Anchor of Regret

 

…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead… Philippians 3:13

“It is finished!” The cry from the bloody cross echoed through the crowd and left a question in the minds of Jesus’ friends. What was finished? His life? No, Jesus had already prophesied that He would rise from the dead in three days. That cry signaled the completion of a plan put into motion before time began. The meaning of that cry transformed a ragtag bunch of crooks and fishermen into world-changing revolutionaries. That cry has continued to change the world, declaring victory for anyone who would call upon His name. Calling Jesus Lord means that no one need remain captive to past mistakes. Jesus used His own blood to cancel the debt we owe God. Nothing was left to be accomplished. He bought the ticket out of our past.

But regret is an anchor that prevents us from moving on. We even convince ourselves that we are honoring God by refusing to forgive ourselves. But when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He cut the cable to that anchor. When we place our souls under the blood that cleanses us, we can forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. We don’t have to be defined by anything except our relationship to Him. Regret is a false humility that reminds us continually how we have failed. But when we transfer ownership of our lives to the lordship of Jesus, regret goes with it. He gives us a new heart and a new future (2 Cor. 5:17).

Has regret prevented you from moving on? Jesus offers to cut the cable to that anchor. 

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What is Real Freedom?

 

 “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

The shout of the twenty-somethings was so loud that it muffled the rattle of chains against the prison bars. “We’re free! Nobody’s gonna hold us back from doing what we wanna do! We can be anything we want: whatever gender, whatever sexual preference, whatever lifestyle we want! You can bow down to an invisible God if you want to, but we’re our own gods!” A burst of expletives echoed from the cell walls, drowning out the groans of the addicts retching on the floor.

The ministry team from a local church listened quietly, and then the leader tried again. He held out a Bible. “No my friends, you only think you’re free. Don’t you see the chains? The bars? The very sins you cling to have enslaved you, while you insist that you are free. Jesus offers real life, abundant life, uncommon life. Won’t you take it?” Hysterical laughter met his words. “You think you know what living is, preacher?” asked a man in the last stages of AIDS. “You guys with your monogamy, sobriety, and churchy junk.” Chains clattered as another prisoner shook his track-marked arm at the group outside. “You don’t know what you’re missing!” The pastor lowered the Bible. “Yeah, we know what we’re missing. That’s why we’re grateful for Jesus.”

The world defines “life” as the freedom to do anything you want. While it is true that we can choose our lifestyle, we cannot choose the consequences. Are you in prison while declaring that you are free? 

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Freedom or License?

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 

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Discretion: the ability to choose an action based upon its potential effect on others. Discretion is a word we don't hear much anymore in this society of rights-fighters. We proudly champion our freedom to do whatever we please, as though that was a virtue. Even among Christians, the idea of intentionally limiting ourselves in order not to offend a brother is rarely considered.

Freedom is a glorious thing, but for followers of Christ, it is a weighty responsibility. Freedom from legalism is a precious gift. Jesus has already fulfilled what was lacking in our righteousness. But to know Him is to voluntarily give up some of the freedom He bought for us. That freedom is only beautiful when it is paired with discretion. Without discretion, freedom can become license to sin and an offense to others. We have freedom to live in joyful abandon to the will of God, rather than continuing our enslavement to old passions and habits. What an awesome example to our world when those who have been set free willingly choose to limit their freedom for the sake of a broader testimony.

Freedom is the right to say, "I can do anything and God still accepts me." Discretion is the maturity to say, "I could, but I won't." Are you practicing discretion in your personal life?

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