Don’t we just love dramas? In our country we watch almost all kinds, from various cultures. Mexican telenovelas, American TV series, and K-Dramas are considered mainstream viewing in our country alongside our very own local drama shows. In all these shows, plot twists are inherent, and these twists keep us glued on the screen.
Ancient as it is, the Bible contains stories upon stories with plot twists we all can learn from. Details that are truly unexpected, and turn-arounds we will never forget. Most likely these stories are that way to inspire all of us that no matter our past mistakes, shameful background, or wrong choices, we can still turn our life around if we only let Jesus Christ be the director of our life.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a]The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Who would ever think that someone like us, with the long list of sins we dare not mention, could turn out to be a daughter or a son of the King of Kings? If we only confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, repent of our sins, step away from our sinful lifestyle and grow our faith, we could all be cleansed by the Lord and live a new life in Him.
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” John 1:12
Countless stories are evident of this truth. The sinful woman in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 7 was known in their town as an immoral person, and yet when she asked for Jesus’ forgiveness and did what she can to show her repentance, she was forgiven and encouraged to start anew.
“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”” Luke 7:47-48
The son who squandered his inheritance in an immoral lifestyle, and was working in the pigsty decided to humble himself before his father and was welcomed by his father running with open arms, complete with a banquet.
““The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:21-24
So in spite of our failures and mistakes, we should always remember our true identity in Christ. We should always remind ourselves that we are not our mistakes, we are not our regrets, and our life is not summed up with the wrong choices we made. When we surrender our sins to Jesus and let His blood cover it all, we initiate the ultimate plot twist of our lives and instantaneously become daughters and sons of the King of all Kings.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[a] of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:14-16
Sometimes we think we can never stop sinning. That there is no way out and that the sinful lifestyle we live defines us and we will grow old and die just like that. But God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ to free us from this mentality. When our Messiah died on the cross, He freed us from our sins and removed its power to enslave us. He removes our guilt and empowers us to start anew.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1
So it is never too late for you to claim your right to the crown. You are God’s princess and like the prodigal son and his father, our Heavenly King will come running to embrace us back as soon as we head right back to Him
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Luke 15:11-32, Romans 8:14-19 and Luke 7:36-50 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you see yourself as a child of God or do you still see yourself as someone sinful who can never change?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father thank you for giving us a new identity through your Son, Jesus Christ. Please grant me the confidence to see myself as a new creation, and a child of Yours at that. Give me the grace to think and believe that the new life you gave me is my key to live a fruitful life for you and for others. Amen.
