Josh Wilson - That Was Then, This Is NowSmakprov

That Was Then, This Is Now [The video portion of this devotional is not available on your device. To view this video, visit your plan at www.youversion.com] Recently, I played music for a graduation ceremony at the Nashville Rescue Mission. There were 10 men who had just finished a year-long recovery program. They had previously been homeless, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and completely without hope of a future. On the day of the graduation, each one of them stepped up to the podium to talk about what God had done during their year in the program. While they spoke, a picture was projected on the screen of the first day they came in. In the photo, the men had no hope in their eyes. They were disheveled and dirty, directionless and at the end of themselves. The difference between the men in the photo and the men standing at the podium was stark. When they spoke, they smiled from ear to ear, poised and confident, hopeful for their future and free from their past. These men are a beautiful picture of what Jesus can do in someone’s life. For those of us who know Christ, we have had a similar turnaround. Perhaps there isn’t as stark a difference on the outside, but on the inside, our very souls have gone from death to life. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We are forgiven, not because of our moral living, but because of the perfect life Jesus lived and the sacrifice He made on the cross. When He was resurrected on the third day, our righteousness was sealed forever. When we put our faith in Him for forgiveness, we are forgiven. Like my song, “That Was Then, This Is Now,” says, “go ahead, put your past in the past, box it up like an old photograph, you don’t have to go back because that was then, and this is now." To listen to the album "That Was Then, This Is Now" on TheOverflow please visit theoverflow.com/JWilson-Devo