What an honor it is to serve God! Each day is a new day. Anne of Greene Gables said something like each day is a clean slate with no mistakes. Lamentations 3:22, 23 says: "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness." There is a sweetness to beginning every day with God.
I confess that I need the mercy of God. I do not believe that this is a failure. I am of the race called humans. I make mistakes. God knows and understands how we are made. After all, God took the dust of the earth, formed man and breathed into him the breath of life. (See Genesis 2:7) Psalm 139 reaffirms that God loves me. He loved me before I was even in my mother's womb.
What is even more exciting is that God loves you. He has thoughts about you. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God is concerned about you and about your future. God is not just concerned about your beginning and what you are doing now, He is concerned about your entire life. He gave you the Bible to learn about His ways. When we learn about God's ways, we begin to make better decisions. This affects our tomorrows.
Another great thought is to read a chapter of Proverbs every day. If you are a brand new Christian, you may want to read just a few verses each day and as God to show you what they mean and how you can incorporate them into your life. It is great to read the Bible cover to cover, but in the beginning you may want to start with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Just as a baby starts with milk, new Christians benefit the most by reading the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. After a while, you will want more solid food, so to speak, and then you can move on to other books like Galatians and Ephesians.
The most important thing is to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand what you are reading. You may need someone to help you understand. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.
Don't get upset if you don't understand everything. We likely never will while living down here on Earth. However, as time goes by you will understand more and more. Don't get down on yourself if you make mistakes. God knew you (and I) would make mistakes and He still formed us and cares about us. His thoughts toward us cannot be me counted. That is so amazing.
Forgetting: All the mistakes of yesterday and today, all the mistakes before this moment.
Remember: I (and you) are created by the Creator of the Universe. When we ask forgiveness He forgives us. He takes our sins and never remembers it again. Forgive youself!
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