Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Two brothers were convicted of stealing sheep many years ago in England. In accordance with the punishment of those days, they were branded in the forehead with the letters “ST” for “sheep thief”. One brother, unable to bear the stigma, fled to a foreign country where he died full of bitterness and was buried in a forgotten grave. The other brother chose not to run away. He said, “I can’t get away from the fact that I once stole sheep, but I will remain here and make the best of it. I’ll change my way of living, do what’s right and try to get back the respect of my neighbors, as well as my own self-respect.”
The years passed, and he gradually established a reputation for his integrity and respectability, his honesty and sense of self-worth. Then one day, a stranger was in town, and he happened to notice this old man with the letters “ST” branded on his forehead. He asked one of the local people what that meant. After pondering for a while, the villager said, “It all happened so long ago that I can’t remember the particulars. But I really think the letters are an abbreviation for the word ‘Saint’.”
Our mistakes and failure of the past do not have to define us. We can choose to be who God says we are. Every one of us has something in our past that is less than admirable. We have all been branded, either through reputation or conscience, with some haunting memory of our old sins. Either we can let shame and guilt set in and do the devastating work of making us feel their weight for years to come, or we can choose to see ourselves as God sees us and walk in the forgiveness and freedom that only comes through the cross of Jesus Christ.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 54: 17)
Published on Jan 30 @ 3:39 AM EDT
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Pray | Fast | Meditate
Becoming a Better You | Marlin D. Harris
Welcome to our 31-Day Corporate Fast.
In 1988, I was 15 years old, sitting on a plane flying from Oklahoma to Seoul, South Korea. I felt that I was leaving more than a country but leaving my entire concept of normalcy and certainty. I was going from the world I knew to a world that I was completely unprepared to face. My father had received military orders to move from Ft. Drum, New York, and for the next 3 years, live in Taegu, South Korea. Now, this is not uncommon. Military families travel across the globe to new duty stations all the time and often make wonderful and amazing memories and experiences while living in a foreign country. But that was precisely the problem – we were certainly not a family, and this was most definitely not promising to be an amazing memory. My stepmother was a non-functioning alcoholic, and my father was a functioning one. I was placed in their home because my home of origin had become too unstable and abusive for me to live in. I was traveling 5,000 miles away from what I had come to know as normal, with people that I had just met less than 9 months ago. I sat on that plane believing that I was leaving one disaster and heading into another one. Nothing could have convinced me that day that this one experience would have so deeply changed my life and so firmly established my faith and confidence in God.
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“This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. We are not consumed through the Lord’s mercies because His compassions fail not to. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:21-23 (NKJV)
The Book of Lamentations is a poetic lament written by the prophet
Jeremiah while he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the
subsequent exile of God’s chosen people. It is a book laden with grief,
painting a vivid picture of ruin, loss, and heartache. Lamentations
embodies a nation’s sorrow as Jerusalem, the heart of God’s chosen
people, is burned to ashes, and women and children are led away into
the hopelessness of the Babylonian exile. Yet, nestled here, right in
the middle of the book, is a spark of light—a reminder that even in the
deepest sorrow, hope has a song. Jeremiah’s words, “This I recall to my
mind, therefore I have hope,” rise up like a melody from the ashes. His
bold declaration reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning,
and His faithfulness will never change.
LOSING HOPE
I can’t read these verses without reflecting on my own journey—a time
when I thought hope had no song at all. When I was 19 years old, I found
myself homeless, sleeping on a park bench in the heart of Atlanta, near
the college I had just enrolled in. I was broke, hopeless, and filled with
despair. Each day, I would carry my luggage to the Student Center and ask
a few kitchen workers if I could leave my bags while I attended my classes
for that day.
During the day, I worked hard to keep up appearances, trying to hide my
situation from those around me. I’d retrieve my luggage in the evenings,
grateful for whatever snacks those in the kitchen were kind enough to allow
me to eat for free. But then, at night, when the Student Center closed, my
world grew cold and dark. I’d sit alone on the steps and wonder if I had
made a mistake coming to Georgia to go to school and if I would be okay
throughout the night. By 1 a.m., I would gather my luggage, head to the
park, and find a bench or patch of grass to sleep on.
Lying there under the vast expanse of the night sky, I couldn’t help but feel
a deep, abiding sense of despair and hopelessness. Questions swirled
in my mind: Had God forgotten about me? Did He even have a plan for
my life? Did He know where I was? My anxious thoughts became the only
lullaby that would lull me to sleep. In those moments, it felt as though
hope had abandoned me. I couldn’t imagine that hope could still “sing.”
Even though I was a minister and had preached to others, in my own
heart, I didn’t think that hope existed. In my head, I knew better, but my
heart struggled to feel what my head knew to be true.
FINDING HOPE
But God hadn’t forgotten me. In the midst of my suffering, small acts of
kindness began to weave their melody into my life. A few classmates would
offer me their couches to rest on in the dormitory lobbies. Someone would
hand me their key pass so I could wash my clothes at the end of the week.
Others offered me food or a little money to grab a bite to eat in the Student
Center. At the time, these gestures seemed like drops in a bucket. But
now I realize they were melodies of hope—softly, yet powerfully—singing
their song in my heart. I refused to fall into despair. Though I cried myself
to sleep and hid my face from some of the other kids because I was too
ashamed to let them see me sleeping in the park, I never gave up. I never
stopped humming hope’s song in my heart.
MY SONG OF HOPE
Every morning, even as I woke up on a park bench, God met me with new
mercies. His faithfulness was there, even when my circumstances said
otherwise. He surrounded me with people who reflected His compassion,
people who reminded me that no matter how dark the night seemed,
the dawn was just around the corner. To me, those days were strangely,
but wonderfully, precious days. They became permanent bricks in the
foundation of what made me fall in love with God. While on that park
bench, hope found me. Hope found me not through money, rescue, or
an immediate change in my circumstances. No, hope found me with a
little song:
“When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like
sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It
is well, it is well, with my soul.’” This is the song that chased away
the darkness for me. This is the melody that brought me hope.
The truth is, God’s faithfulness doesn’t always come the way we may
expect it to. Sometimes, it’s the quiet voice of a stranger’s kindness, or the
untraceable strength to get back up after falling down, or maybe even the
courage to keep going when all seems lost. The song that hope sings in
your heart may not be loud, but it is always persistent. It echoes through
the chambers of our hearts, reminding us that no matter how dark it gets,
we are not consumed because God’s compassions will never fail.
THE PURPOSE OF HOPE
As I look back, I see how those days on the park bench played a significant
part in the foundation of my life’s ministry to homeless, hurting, and
helpless individuals and families. He was my strength when I was weak,
my light in the darkness, and the steady rhythm of hope that kept my heart
from breaking. I learned that even in the most difficult seasons of life, the
song of hope can still be heard if we just learn to listen close enough.
Today, you may find yourself in a season of ruin or despair. Perhaps you’re
lying awake at night, questioning God’s plan, wondering if He sees you.
Let this truth rise within you: His mercies are new every morning. His
compassions never fail. Hope’s song is still singing, even if it’s just a faint
melody in your heart.
Remember, hope doesn’t deny that your pain is real; it simply declares
that God’s love is greater than your pain. No matter how dark the night,
His faithfulness can’t be shaken. Every morning, He offers us a fresh start,
renewed strength, and a reason to keep going.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness that never wavers. When I am
overwhelmed by despair, remind me that Your mercies are new every
morning. Help me to hear the song of hope that You are singing over my life.
May I trust in Your unchanging love and find strength in Your compassion.
You are the anchor of my soul, and I rest in the promise that You will never
leave me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
DAILY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
Find a quiet moment each morning this week to reflect on God’s new
mercies for the day. Write down three things you are grateful for and
meditate on Lamentations 3:21-23. Let these truths renew your hope and
frame your day with gratitude and trust in God’s faithfulness.
Published on Dec 19 @ 12:29 AM EDT
6 comments
Contessa
Thank You Pastor Farr - One of our biggest problems is forgiving our selves for past life situations and hurts. It took me awhile to overcome. I repented and ask God to forgive me but I couldn't for give myself. Through continual meditation on his word and a sermon of Pastor Harris. I realized that my past situations and hurt was now my testimony to encourage others and to set me free from this stronghold. To God Be the Glory!!!
Posted on Sun, Jan 10, 2021 @ 8:52 AM CST