It Isn’t the End of Your Story

Have you ever said or done something you regret? Maybe you thought, “If only I could relive that moment.”

What would Eve have given for another chance before that tree in the Garden of Eden? What would Moses have given for another chance to just speak to the rock instead of strike it?

But what happened with Moses wasn’t his whole story. Hebrews 11 gives us the Heroes Hall of Faith, an account of great men and women who trusted God and put their faith into action. For example, verse 27 says of Moses, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (NLT).

No record is made of his mistakes, and the same is true for the others mentioned in Hebrews 11. The passage goes on to say, “It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons” (verse 28 NLT).

The action of putting the blood on the doorposts made the perfect image of a cross. So the judgment of God didn’t come upon their firstborn. Moses applied the blood of the Passover lamb, and he was under the blood. And ultimately, Moses finished his race well.

In the same way, Jesus died for our sins, and once we’ve asked Him to forgive our sins, we need to accept the fact that we’re forgiven. We don’t have to keep going back and reliving our past again and again or try to offer some kind of penance for our sin.

So if you’ve messed up, if you’ve said or done something you’re ashamed of, here’s the good news: God gives second chances.