That dream of peace through improved weapons was shattered by World War I. Alfred's dynamite and other inventions were used to kill more and to kill faster. Yet he continued on his quest for peace.

Only God can change our past.

One morning, Alfred picked up the paper and was shocked to read his own obituary. Through an error, a French paper had printed Alfred's obituary instead of his brother's. It was a terrible shock to this peace-loving man to see himself labeled as "the Merchant of Death," portrayed as the man responsible for thousands of deaths. This was not how Alfred wanted to be remembered. So in his remaining years, he worked with lawyers to set up a foundation that would give yearly prizes for chemistry, physics, medicine and literature. Today if you ask someone about Alfred Nobel, few will call him "the Merchant of Death" nor connect his name with dynamite. We remember, instead, the Nobel peace prize.

We may not be able to change our legacy that dramatically, but we can do something even better. We can take our past mistakes, our old lives, the guilt and regrets that we've built up through the years, and have them erased forever. God has promised to separate us from them "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12) ... and that's pretty far! God will look on us as though we'd never done anything wrong. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Wouldn't you like to wake up tomorrow and know that you can be proud of every aspect of your life? Jesus can make it possible. A new start, a clean slate. It's there for the taking. Contact me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog. I'll tell you more about changing your past and assuring your future.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you, sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions about becoming a new creation.

 

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© 2008 Herald of Truth

Title: "Changing the Past"
Author: Tim Archer
Publication Date: February 27, 2008

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Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

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