I read a very interesting article today about a man by the name of Mikhailo Kalashnikov.\u00a0 For those of you who may not be familiar with that name, he is the creator of the AK-47 gun.\u00a0 Kalashnikov died recently, but he wrote a very interesting letter shortly before his death.\u00a0 The letter deals with his regret over creating the gun.\u00a0 One quote that stood out to me was this, “My soul aches; it is unbearable. I face the same unsolvable question: If my gun killed people, then I, Mikhailo Kalashnikov, 93 years old, a peasant’s son, a Christian and Orthodox believer, is guilty in people’s death, even if they were enemies” (full article can be found here, http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2014\/01\/13\/my-soul-aches-dying-kalashnikov-felt-guilt-over-blood-spilled-by-ak-47\/).\u00a0 The article says that Mr. Kalashnikov wrote this letter to the leader of the Russian Orthodox church.\u00a0 It is clear from the article that Mr. Kalashnikov was ridden with guilt over his creation and the purpose it served.\u00a0 Do you bear a similar hurt or guilt from your past?\u00a0 You may not have been a mass murderer or even the producer of something that killed many people, but is there something in your past that you are struggling to let go of like Mr. Kalashnikov was?\u00a0 You past certainly does impact your present, but it doesn’t have to define you or your future. \u00a0There is another story of a famous person who had a deep regret in his life for the longest time.\u00a0 His name is John Newton.\u00a0 Mr. Newton wrote one of the most beloved hymns of the church, “Amazing Grace.”\u00a0 Would you be shocked to know that for a time Mr. Newton was actually a slave ship captain at one point in his life?\u00a0 But what about you, what in your past still haunts you?<\/p>\n
I believe many of us harbor some past regrets, some things that if we could go back and change we would, but alas we know that simply can’t happen.\u00a0 The problem is we have allowed the devil to keep us in that bondage.\u00a0 We have bought into the lies that no one would love us or want to be around us if they knew what we had done.\u00a0 We have listened to the devil whisper, how could God love someone like you for far too long.\u00a0 And so if we are going to move forward from these regrets we are going to have to get the biblical account and set the record straight.\u00a0 Point number one is all sin is the same in God’s eyes (Rom. 3:23; Jam. 2:10).\u00a0 The world and sometimes the church may try to say some sin is worse than others, but that is not God’s point of view.\u00a0 God sees all sin the same.\u00a0 Point number two is Jesus came and died for what John Newton described as “a wretch like me.”\u00a0 The truth is that Jesus died for the world, not simply those who seek after Him, but even for those who are running as far as they can in the opposite direction (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8).\u00a0 Point number three is that we can be forgiven of any and all sins if we turn in faith to Jesus, trusting that His death upon that cross was sufficient to pay for all of our sins.\u00a0 Salvation, forgiveness, and deliverance have nothing to do with what you and I do or could do, it is based entirely on what Jesus has already done on the cross (Eph. 2:8-9).\u00a0 The truth is the only sin that we can’t be forgiven for is not accepting Jesus before we die.\u00a0 The Bible says that when we confess our sins (which means agree with Jesus that what we did is wrong and turn from them to Him), He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).\u00a0 What does God do with our sins when He forgives us?\u00a0 Psalm 103:12 tells us that He casts them as far as the east is from the west.\u00a0 The final point is when we accept Jesus, He frees us from our bondage and our baggage (John 8:31-32).\u00a0 We are no longer slaves to sin.\u00a0 The Bible says that we are clothed in the righteousness (right standing) of Christ.\u00a0 No longer will we be judged on our actions, but rather we are released from that judgment through God’s grace.\u00a0 Only when we have a relationship with Christ can our past be wiped clean.\u00a0 Only when we know who we are in Christ, can we have peace and reconcile our past.\u00a0 I may not be what I should be, I’m not yet what I will be, but thank God I’m not who I use to be!\u00a0 Because of the blood of Jesus Christ, my past is forgiven, I am made new, I have a glorious future.\u00a0 This is possible when we come to Christ in faith.\u00a0 Therefore, I can say unequivocally the only way to live and die regret free is to surrender to Jesus Christ, let Him deal with our past and change our future.<\/p>\n
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I read a very interesting article today about a man by the name of Mikhailo Kalashnikov.\u00a0 For those of you who may not be familiar with that name, he is the creator of the AK-47 gun.\u00a0 Kalashnikov died recently, but … Read More