Just this week, I was reading a story about a woman who lost her job at a bank after a background check revealed that some 40 years ago, she had been convicted of a couple of shoplifting charges. At that time, she paid for the crime and did everything required by the law. Since then, for 40 years, she has worked as a decorated employee. The problem is that her record of the crimes still were on the books.

There is a lesson to be learned, especially for those who are younger, and that is that you need to understand that the wrong decisions that you make now can come back and bite you down the road. It may seem like a joke now, but years later you might not be laughing.

 There is a greater lesson here, and that is in the most important area of life — your spiritual one — your past doesn’t have to go with you. If you will go to Jesus Christ and sincerely ask for forgiveness for your past sins — no matter how big or many there are — they will not only be forgiven, but they will be completely erased.

We are told in Scripture that, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he (God) removed our transgressions from us.” In Isaiah, God promises us that when our sins are blotted out, they will be remembered no more. In this life, for some it will be difficult, or may be even impossible, to have their past criminal record cleared.

But the good news is that in the life that matters most — the eternal one — that which would keep us out of heaven can be completely erased.

The only thing we must do is be willing to confess our sinful past and by faith trust that it has been forgiven.
Remember, the choice is ours.