Victorious Living.

It’s Easter Sunday, and I’ve been thinking about a lot of things.

Well, one specific thing, really.

Today during worship, my pastor said, “Only through the Resurrection can we take a blemish of regret and turn it into a badge of glory.”

It’s a beautiful thought, no? Our pasts are wiped away. Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, we no longer have to be held in everlasting contempt for our sins.

But my pastor was trying to make a different point. He was challenging those of us who have already been redeemed and washed clean to LIVE a life of victory because of the resurrection.

In other words, are we living each day of our lives in light of God’s glorious forgiveness and overwhelming grace through the miracle of Easter? 

Are we looking at our pasts as something to display God’s glory through, or are we still hiding behind it as a hindrance to freedom and new beginnings?

He referred to Romans 6:1-14, and the first few verses jumped out at me.

“What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who have died to sin still live in it?”

Heavy stuff. 

“How can we who have died to sin still live in it?”

Oh, but I do. Every day. Looking back on the last few months of my life alone, I can see millions of moments where I not only lived in sin, but wallowed, bathed, and dressed myself in the grime of my own selfishness. My own pride. My own lust.

Christ has died for these sins! He has already paid the price to erase them from my life! So why do I continue to live as if He has not been victorious over the evil side of my soul?

It’s so utterly convicting.

So on this Easter Sunday, I challenge you to look at your past. Look at it and truly realize the reality of Christ’s cleansing power through His resurrection. Begin to live your life in light of His victory over your sin. It’s already been wiped clean.

Take your past, your shame, your darkness…and turn the blemishes of regret into badges of glory. 

Because in His eyes, they’ve been just that all along.