I go to the dentist twice a year. During the initial phase of the checkup, the dentist x-rays my mouth, looking for things like periodontal disease and other potential troubling issues that are not easily seen simply by looking in my mouth. He then uses a pick tool to scrape below my gum line to remove plaque and tartar that can cause gum disease and cavities. After that, he cleans and flosses my teeth. Throughout the checkup, he is checking the current condition of my mouth, teeth, and gums.

My teeth have yellowed over the years but having them regularly cleaned does help with keeping my teeth with some whiteness while also maintaining oral health. I am fortunate that in my lifetime I have only had five cavities. Those cavities all occurred when I was a teenager during the initial appointment with a new dentist, so I question the validity of those cavities, but nonetheless, I have good teeth. Just as my five cavities and yellowing teeth do not determine the overall condition of my mouth, our sins do not have to determine our present or future condition. Despite our sins, we can have a “brighter and whiter” future!

The Bible is clear that if we repent of our sins, God both forgives and refreshes us. Note, God’s forgiveness does not mean, however, that there will not still possibly be consequences. Acts 3:19-20 tells us – “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.”We see three events in that sentence – repentance and the blotting out of sins, seasons of refreshing, and the (second) coming of Jesus. I believe Peter is making clear in v.21 that this “send the Christ” refers to the return of Jesus, his second coming.

There is much to understand and unpack in vv.19-21, but without losing the power and meaning of what Peter is saying, I want us to focus on the idea that turning from our sins (repentance) and turning to God (faith) leads to both those sins being wiped out (forgiven) and, ultimately, a season of spiritual refreshing and the coming of Jesus.    

You might have really blown it in the past, maybe even repeatedly, and you think that you are “too damaged” to be restored and refreshed by God. It is sometimes hard to accept God’s forgiveness because we struggle to forgive ourselves, but God wants us to walk in the freedom that comes with His forgiveness. We read this in Micah 7:19 – “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Those “you are too damaged” thoughts come from Satan; they never come from God. He wants us to resist dwelling on the yesterday, and, instead, focus on today. Don’t just take my word for it. Here is what we find in Isaiah 43:18 – “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” 

God not only forgives and refreshes, he also forgets, never holding our past against us. Hebrews 8:12 tells us – “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

God wants to restore your teeth to a brighter and whiter shine! Will you open wide and let Him do so?

Note from Dave: Since my stroke six months ago, it has been challenging for me to regularly come up with new content. It is not my desire to simply re-package old content, so in order to put my neurological and physical energies into my continuing recovery and also into my new job, for the foreseeable future, I will be decreasing the number of blog posts. As I am inspired by God with new material, I will happily write and post what comes to mind. I want to thank you for your continued support of my writings.

Have you ever lost power in your house and found yourself in the dark? You hope that your eyes quickly adjust to the darkened environment. As you grope your way through complete darkness, trying to avoid banging your shins on the bed post or knocking over a lamp, you look for the nearest window in order to open the curtains, letting in much needed light.

Our eyes are amazingly complex organs that are made to adapt to changes in light. In adapting to the darkness our eyes go through a three phase process. The pupils dilate very quickly, the cone cells in the retina take about ten minutes to adapt to the dark, while it takes the rod cells in the retina, which are more sensitive to changes in light than the cones, up to forty-five minutes to adapt. Even after our eyes completely adapt to the darkness, we are thankful for the little bit of light coming in through the window. 

Sometimes in our walk with Jesus, we also find ourselves in darkness. And just like that room is pitch black, you feel as if you are groping your way through complete darkness. It could be that as you follow God’s plan you feel as if you are jumping off a cliff in the complete darkness, just hoping that there is water down below. Maybe you are in the midst of a difficult season of life, wondering where God is. Quite possibly you have been asking God for direction, only to hear nothing from Him. Or you have allowed your intimacy with God to wane and you feel distant from Him.

Every follower of Jesus finds themselves in times of darkness at some point or another. What are we to do in those moments of darkness? Isaiah 50:10 gives us the answer – “Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

Scripture is full of references to God being the One who turns darkness into light. Below are just two of those verses.

“For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness” (Psalm 18:28).

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

So, today, will you trust Jesus to illuminate your darkness, trusting in His light, the light that will guide your path?

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As the days become warmer and the sun brighter, we will begin to look for places to sit and enjoy the outdoors. Close your eyes and picture your go-to place. That perfect place for my wife and I is a crowded beach on a warm and sunny summer day, good book in hand, snacks and drinks in our cooler, feeling the ocean water on our toes, smelling the salty air, taking in the sights and sounds of frolicking beachgoers.

Maybe you find yourself sitting in your screened-in porch, gentle breeze keeping you cool, your favorite music playing, iced tea nearby, the smell of burgers wafting through the air, as you watch the golfers on the golf course.

Or, instead, maybe you see yourself lying in a hammock, under a tree on a quiet and peaceful afternoon, taking a much needed nap, feeling the warmth of the sun, protected from its harmful rays.

Wherever it is you envision yourself, you are not out of God’s sight. Proverbs 15:3 tells us – “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

I offer this psalm to you as both reminder and encouragement, that regardless of where you are or what comes your way today, you can rest assured that God has you covered:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121).  

Let God be your shade today!

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.