our daily bread
Dexu Xia
If I Knew Then . . .
In his great mercy [God] has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3
On the way to work, I listened to the song “Dear Younger Me,” which asks: If you could go back, knowing what you know now, what would you tell your younger self? As I listened, I thought about the bits of wisdom I might give my younger, less-wise self. Most of us have thought about how we might do things differently—if only we could do it all over again.
But the song illustrates that even though we have regrets from our past, all our experiences have shaped who we are. We can’t change the consequences of our choices or sin. Praise God we don’t have to carry the mistakes around with us. Because of what Jesus has done! “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”! (1 Peter 1:3).
We are forgiven because of what He’s done.
If we turn to Him in faith and sorrow for our sins, He will forgive us. On that day we’re made brand new and begin the process of being spiritually transformed (2 Cor. 5:17). It doesn’t matter what we’ve done (or haven’t done), we are forgiven because of what He’s done. We can move forward, making the most of today and anticipating a future with Him. In Christ, we’re free!
Dear Lord, I’m so thankful that through You we can be free of the burdens of the past—the mistakes, the pain, the sins—that hang so heavy. We don’t need to carry around regret or shame. We can leave them with You.
For further study, read Live Free.
Leave your heavy burdens with God.
若早知道……
祂曾照自己的大怜悯，藉耶稣基督从死里复活，重生了我们，叫我们有活泼的盼望。-彼得前书1章3节
上班途中，我听着一首英文歌曲（Dear Younger Me），歌词说道：“假如能带着现在已知的一切回到过去，你会告诉年轻的自己哪些事？”我边听边想，如果真的回到过去，我会给予少不更事的自己哪些忠告和提醒。在我们生命中的某个阶段，多数人都曾想过，若生命可以重来，或许我们做事的方法会有所不同。
但接下来的歌词又说，即便我们对过去的生活充满悔恨，但过往的经验却也塑造了我们。如今，我们无法回到过去，也不能改变当初的抉择或错误所造成的后果。但赞美上帝，因着耶稣所成就的一切，我们不需要背负这样的重担和过去的错误。“祂曾照自己的大怜悯，藉耶稣基督从死里复活，重生了我们，叫我们有活泼的盼望”（彼得前书1章3节）。
若我们相信并归向祂，为我们的罪痛悔，祂就赦免我们。在那一刻，我们会在灵里被更新，成为新造的人（哥林多后书5章17节） 。无论我们曾做过（或没做到）什么，我们都能因祂的救赎而得到赦免。我们可以继续前行，珍惜今天，期待永远与祂同在。在基督里，我们是自由的！
亲爱的主，我感谢祢。我们过去的错误、痛苦和罪恶的重担，重压在我们身上，但因着祢，我们能得着释放。
我们只要将这一切交托给祢，便无须背负悔恨或羞愧。
将你的重担交给上帝。