There once were two brothers who lived in the same city. Each was interviewed separately by a local TV station. The first brother was homeless and living on the streets. He had lost everything and had nothing left to live for. The second brother was a CEO of a fortune 500 company. He was extremely wealthy, had a family, and was very happy. During the interview both brothers were asked one simple question, “What were the circumstances that led you to be the man you are today?” To the surprise of the reporter, both brothers gave the same exact answer. Each one responded, “Because of the example my father set when I was growing up. He was a mean drunk, and never did anything to support or encourage me growing up.”
Every day we have defining moments based on actions. It could be an action that we have taken or an action someone else has taken in regards to us. In this story of the two brothers, they each used their childhood to determine the type of man they would become.
In our scripture verse for today, in what was the worst moment in the life of Jesus, He used His death to give us life. If Jesus had not died, there would have been no resurrection. No death, no life. Jesus is not defined by His suffering or by the horrible things He endured, but by the miracle of His resurrection. Jesus had all the power to decide a different choice, but He didn’t. He sacrificed everything so that we could have eternal life.
Jesus is not defined by His suffering or by the horrible things He endured…
Today can be a new defining moment for you! Today you can choose to allow your past to be your past! It can be something that helps define what you want and what you don’t want, but most importantly, it can help you choose who you want to be and how you want to live your life.
Confession for today: “Lord, today is my defining moment! I no longer live in the past. All the things that are holding me back because of my past, I choose to lay at Your feet. I do this knowing that Jesus, by His choice, took my past from me. I believe I am special! I know that You have a plan for my life that won’t be determined by my circumstances, but because You love me and want the best for me and my future.”
Living for today,
Mr. Tom
