Savage About Sobriety April 21, 2023

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, - 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV).

Many of you are like me and have a colorful past. Whether it's a criminal past with several trips to prison, or you've been lost in sin with no direction for your life, none of us were born perfect. Even though we got saved, got sober and started cleaning up our lives, and the way others viewed us, not everybody has the 411 on our new found freedom.

It's easy to get discouraged when people throw our past in our face. It doesn't have to be front page news. It can be in the form of being passed over for a job, a promotion, or maybe you get denied parole, or visitation with your kids. Our "old" self can cause problems for our "new" self in several different ways. Just because we KNOW that we KNOW that we KNOW that we are not that old person anymore doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the world got the memo on you turning a new leaf over.

Just recently, I had to do a background check for a project I'm working on. The job itself is not anything I haven't already been doing for the last few years. On this particular project, due to the location, a background check is required for every person working on the project. Unfortunately, being a convicted felon disqualifies me from working on the project. It's pretty discouraging to see your life summed up in 8 pages of criminal activity. It's a reminder of all the times I had failed at various stages of my life. I thank God that the Voice of Truth tells me that my story isn't finished and I am NOT the sum of 8 pages from a background check.

Paul tells Timothy in 2Timothy 1:9 that God saved us and called us to a holy life, and here's the best part, not because of anything we have done (good or bad), but because of His own purpose and grace. Like I said earlier, no one was born perfect. But we are all made perfect by Jesus Christ when we get saved. Look at the Apostles Jesus chose. To the world, they were a group of misfits that nobody could have ever imagined would do what they did. Peter was a drunk and had some serious anger issues, but he went on to be the rock upon which Jesus built the church.

As you get your life back on track, just remember this...regardless of what the world says you are, you are a redeemed child of God. Keep on keeping on and eventually people will take notice that something about you is different. We can't make anyone see the change by telling them about it. We have to show them. We can only do that by consistently seeking God and keeping Him the priority in our life. Do that and God will take care of the rest.