It is never too late

It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel. (Henry B. Eyring)

I want Mr. Eyring's words to speak to us today. It is never too late - to repent, to forgive, to thank someone, to serve, to life up another. I know a great many struggle with the idea they have gone too far, done too much, been too bad in their judgment  - it is too late in their eyes to seek or find forgiveness. Nothing could be further from the truth - grace wins each and every time.

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. (Romans 5:20-21)

Sin didn't - that is historical - in the past. Sin doesn't - that is here and now - the present. Sin doesn't have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace - that is then, now, and in the future! All the enemy of our souls can do is 'threaten us' with death - but even death isn't him winning - because in death, we are with Christ in eternal life. Sin has no hold - so stop thinking you are 'beyond' forgiveness. 

Sin doesn't want us to let go of the grudges we hold so closely in our hearts. It wants us to keep holding on, to not relinquish control. That is exactly what forgiveness does, my friends - it relinquishes our right and desire to control another. In truth, we don't control them - that lack of forgiveness on our part is us being controlled by our bitterness and unwillingness to let go of the wrongs done to us. 

Sin didn't want us to repent and seek forgiveness - it liked having the upper hand in our lives. God's hand is stronger than any sin or control it might try to exert in us. There is nothing too hard for God - breaking those bonds to sin is his business - letting go of them is ours. There is nothing too hard to break free of, but if we hold on for dear life to what has sucked the life from us, we are holding onto the wrong things.

When it's sin versus grace - grace wins hands down - not once, but every time! That individual may not 'deserve' forgiveness, but we don't 'deserve' the grace we have received in Christ Jesus, either. That thing we hold onto because it seems to hard to let go of isn't any match when it comes face-to-face with Jesus and his matchless grace. 

Who do we need for forgive? Let go...it isn't that person we are controlling - we are being controlled by that memory of the 'injustice' done to us. Who do we need to thank? Let's get to it...those words of thanks could be the beginning of something great in that individual's life - for those words could be the spark of life they need right now. What do we need to lay down - to repent and seek forgiveness for in our own lives? It is easier to see the speck in our brother's eye than the log in our own sometimes, but until we lay down the log, we aren't any good at helping anyone else with the speck they are burdened with right now. Just sayin!