He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. -‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24:17‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

“Kill him!”

Have you ever watched a movie where the hero has a chance to kill the bad guy, but chooses not to…and you’re talking at the screen as if you could will the hero to kill him anyway?

Not-yet-King David was hiding in the wilderness from King Saul, Israel’s first king, who was out to kill him. David had more than one opportunity to kill Saul when he was off guard.

But instead of trying to kill the king who was out to kill him, David instead showed Saul how he was presented opportunities by God to do as he pleased with Saul’s life…and he chose to not harm or kill him.

So, Saul said the verse above to David. Could we extend the same grace and mercy to those who wish to do harm to us? If we allow God to guide us and flow through us, then yes, we can repay good for evil.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! -2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Video games are an interesting animal. You can play till you tire of them, then walk away. Or, you can face up to the challenges they throw your way…and simply restart the game if it’s too hard.

But life isn’t like that. Or is it?

If you’ve been yanked around by the whims and winds of people and circumstance, and wondered why you even bother with life, you can hit restart. Jesus is the restart button for your life, giving you a fresh start and outlook on life you didn’t even know was possible.

If you’re a believer who’s taken your eyes off the Lord for too long and stumbled off His designated path, maybe wondering if you could ever come back into God’s grace, Jesus is unconditionally ready and waiting for you to press restart with Him again.

If you’re in a situation or moment where you think you blew it, just stop and breathe…and hit restart.

It’s never too late. Walk this way if you need to hit restart for the very first time in your life.

Today’s soundtrack

The Newsboys’ “Restart” perfectly expresses the fresh reboot God offers us. Will you press that button?

If this song resonated with you, consider getting it on Amazon Music »

As long as you hate your enemy, a prisoner is taken. But, when you forgive, the prisoner is released, and that prisoner is you. -Max Lucado

You’ve been hurt. You’ve been wronged. You cannot let it go. It’s just not fair, and where is the justice?

God sees all

Part of your walk in Christ is to surrender yourself to Him. If you’re holding onto resentment or feelings of injustice, you’re choosing yourself over His will, which is to forgive and extend grace. The world should see Him in your walk, not you. Which path do you choose?

Easier said that done. How do I forgive?

This excellent In Touch Ministries devotional on the topic breaks it down:

At some point, no doubt, you have been hurt. Probably, a person you loved and trusted did something unthinkable—something so devastating it changed your whole perspective on that individual. When this happens, we have a choice either to wallow in self-pity or to forgive.

Forgiveness is the act of giving up both the resentment we have toward someone and the desire to retaliate. It involves three important steps.

• First, we must release the general feeling of resentment.
• Second, we must surrender specific feelings of resentment toward the individual.
• Third, we lay down all claims to retribution.

Read the whole devotional, which breaks down each step »

God has all the grace and forgiveness you need

The idea is that when you don’t have the forgiveness or grace to give, tap into God’s limitless grace and forgiveness. Forgive as He forgave you (Colossians 3:13).

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. -Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)

Before I surrendered my life to Jesus, “tomorrow is a new day” was more of a fiercely optimistic way of looking at the world. It was me, in my own strength, deciding to reboot myself emotionally so I could handle the world again.

But the world is so, so relentless in its harshness and busyness. No matter what mantra I’d try to apply to my life, it would only stick as well as a New Year’s resolution…not for long.

But as agents of light, we are redeemed. We no longer have to constantly bear the crushing weight of guilt, frustration, pain, and anguish. We no longer have to worry about the days ahead. We just take our lives one day at a time, and let God start our days fresh, because we pray up our burdens to Him.

Our past mistakes do not define us, no matter how much others, the enemy, or even we! tell ourselves that. God sees us and loves us in our finished state, and when we dwell on our burdens and mistakes, we’re letting Satan get a foothold in our lives, which turns our walk into a stumble. We are travelers in this world, but not of this world, and we can run the race light (Hebrews 12:1-2) by remembering that God removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12)

Each day is a new start, with His brilliant light dawning on the steps He lays toward His plans for us. We should walk boldly, joyfully, and victoriously because of this, no matter what worldly circumstances rage around us.

Every morning, thank Him for the new day, and the fresh start He’s afforded you to please Him.

Today’s soundtrack

Casting Crown’s “East to West” reminds us of how much God loves us, so that He gave His only Son to cover our past, present, and future sins.

Casting Crowns – East to West [Live] from casting-crowns on GodTube.