The Best is Yet to Come!

62 years old!

Wow! How can I be that old, when I feel so young?

God has been so good to me! I’ve been blessed with a wonderful wife, amazing children, loving parents, great siblings, and terrific friends (who’ve been filling my Facebook timeline with birthday wishes all day). I’ve got good health, a great job working with people I love and admire, and a beautiful home in the country.

I could go on and on, but the greatest blessing in my life, by far, is the reason for all the other blessings – Jesus Christ! He made all these other blessings possible when He gave His life for me on the cross. And His work didn’t end there for “He lives forever to intercede with God on our behalf.” (Hebrews 7:26 NIV).

Having Jesus as my best friend and my Savior, makes all those other blessings even better. It gives me a reason for getting up each morning and brings purpose and meaning to my life. It makes friendships more precious, my days brighter, and even birthday cake taste sweeter.

My life has had plenty of ups and downs over the last 62 years. I’ve lost count of the mistakes I’ve made and the ways I’ve messed up. I look back with shame at some of the things I’ve done, the bad decisions I’ve made, and, most of all, the people I’ve hurt.

But Jesus died so I could be forgiven and rise above all that. With Him in my life I can learn from the mistakes of my past and, by faith, step into a better tomorrow. Because of what Jesus did I can, like Paul, forget the past, look forward to what lies ahead, and “press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14).

Jesus can do the same for you, my friends. In 1 John 1:9 He promises “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” You can start over. You can have a new beginning, because “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today is my birthday, but I’d love to share it with you. Make it your birthday too. Just accept Jesus as your Savior today. Give Him your heart and accept the wonderful gift He bought for you with His blood – a new beginning! Then hang on for the ride, because the best is yet to come!