Don't Let the Enemy "Ruin" Your Life

Yesterday we visited the Acropolis. I was particularly drawn to the Parthenon. It was constructed from 447 B.C. until 438 B.C. as a temple dedicated to the greek goddess Athena. An interesting fact is that during the 6th century A.D., it was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Under the Latin occupation, it was for 250 years, a Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady. Later, in the early 1460's it was turned into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks.

What struck me is it's survival. It went through many wars, occupied by different invaders, and used by different religions. In 1687, the Parthenon suffered its greatest blow when the Venetians attacked Athens. Yet it still stands, together with the other structures around it. In general we refer to structures like the Parthenon as "ancient ruins."

Just like us, we might have gone through lots of devastating blows in our lives. Maybe emotional, spiritually, and physically the enemy has tried to "ruin" our lives. Yet we still stand. We still stand because of the great love and mercy that the Lord gives us. If not for His sacrifice of death on the cross, we will not be restored and our lives will be in ruins. Many of those who give powerful testimonies have experienced living a "life in ruins." These are those who were ruined by their vices, hatred, misbeliefs, and absence of faith. Yet, even if we go through some damages in our lives like a tainted past, a physical incapability, or a loss of a loved one, the Lord will still use us for a greater purpose: to testify to His love.

"I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love (Luke 7:47)."

Like the woman in the passage, she was damaged. Her life was in ruins. He went to the Lord and bathed His feet with her tears and wiped it with her hair, then she put ointment on Jesus' feet. She gave much love because she had been forgiven much.

We must remember that Satan wants to totally ruin our lives. He wants to make us feel unworthy to go back to the Lord because of the depth of our sins. Yet in the Scriptures, the woman chose to ask for forgiveness and mercy from Jesus. He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven (Luke 7:48)." This episode in the Bible exemplifies how the Lord restores our ruined lives and makes us whole again.

Therefore let us not forget these three things. First, no matter how ruined our lives are, the Lord's will is to restore us back to Him. Second, we need only to accept Him as our Saviour and ask for His love and mercy. Third, He will use our once ruined lives as a powerful testimony of His transforming love.

Just like the Parthenon, it appears damaged and most of its sculptures were destroyed or stolen. Yet it stands as a testimony of the greatness of Ancient Greece. People from all over the world visit Greece just to marvel at this amazing structure. Our lives too, no matter how much damaged we are in the past, the Lord will use us draw people closer to Him and reveal His glory.