I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. (Lev. 11:45)
In the movie Anne of Green Gables, young Anne Shirley laments to her teacher about a mistake she’d made. Her teacher advises her, then smiles and wisely says, “And remember, tomorrow is a new day.” Anne, suddenly grinning, says, “Tomorrow is a new day—with no mistakes in it!” Her teacher chuckles knowingly and replies, “Well, with no mistakes in it . . . yet.”
Our God has taken us out of our former, sinful state and made us His very own. As His children, we are to reflect our Father’s holy nature. We are to act, speak, and behave as He desires. God repeatedly commands holiness, and we must obey. Yet we can’t achieve this on our own. That’s why God gives us all we need to live holy lives, through His Son and His Spirit. Our part is to cooperate.
But we stumble along the way. That’s when we can rely on God’s grace. He called us “out of Egypt,” where we were stuck in sin in the first place. And He will lead us to the promised land of holiness if we follow faithfully. So when we miss the mark of holiness, we simply need to come to our loving Father in true repentance, trust His forgiveness, and commit ourselves anew. Then we can enjoy a new day, with no mistakes in it . . . yet.
Thank God for forgiveness and commit anew to holiness.
Diane Gardner lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where she enjoys theater, community events, and watching the sun set over the bay.
