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When a poor decision on my part has damaged my reputation as a Christian, what can I do?
Let God's forgiveness help you start afresh.
Zechariah 10:6-12
Just when you think you're beginning to make an impact on your unbelieving neighbor you make a bad decision that causes you to wonder whether your witness as a Christian is worth anything. Now what?
That's how Israel, Judah, and King David felt (2 Samuel 11; 12). Over and over, God's people had fallen away from their commitments. And over and over God had wiped the slate clean. After all the times that Israel and Judah abandoned the Lord God in favor of idols, God still promised to show them mercy, answer their prayers, and bring them home because he was "the LORD their God" (Zechariah 10:6).
When your decisions compromise your reputation, turn to the One who specializes in new beginnings. Then you can acknowledge your failings to your non-Christian friends, but also point them to the God who makes all things new. After all, ultimately what counts in your witness is not who you are, but who God is. (See also Joel 2:12-17; Jonah 2; 3; Micah 7:18, 19; Luke 7:36-50; Galatians 1:11-24.)
Good Words to Remember:
"So I will strengthen them in the LORD, and they shall walk up and down in his name. Zechariah 10:12
Today's Challenge:
Do you acknowledge your failures? In what ways? How might 'fessing up change your relationships?
Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Bible Studies.
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