Consider This: Begin Again

One day, in 1888, Alfred Nobel awoke to a surprise; He found out he was dead!

In fact, it was Alfred’s brother, Ludvig, who had passed away, but a French newspaper mistakenly ran Alfred’s obituary instead, and Alfred did not like what he saw. The headline said, “The Merchant of Death is Dead!” The rest of the article described Alfred as a greedy, terrible man who invented dynamite and made his fortune at the misfortune of others. He was remembered as one whose invention escalated wars around the world and tore families apart forever. Alfred was disturbed by this harsh assessment of his life, so he decided to change it.

You may not have known that Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. It is more likely that you remember him for a much better legacy, the Nobel Prizes. Instead of giving his fortune to his family, he set up prizes for “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the benefit on mankind” in various disciplines. First given out in 1901, they continue to highlight those making positive contributions to society.

Now, there is some debate about the story I just told you. It may not be completely true. However, there is no doubt that Alfred Nobel could have been remembered for something bad, but instead is remembered for something good. He could have left a legacy of death and destruction, but he turned that around and is now remembered for peace, hope and helping others.

Fortunately, we have the same opportunity. We can choose. We can start over. We can turn around and go a different and better direction. In fact, there is a Bible word that describes that opportunity and offer: Repent!

Jesus’ first words in Mark’s gospel are, “The time has come… The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

Repent is an invitation. Repentance is part of Jesus’ good news. Repent means you can come home. You can start over. You can change your direction and your life. More accurately, Jesus can do those things with and for you.

There is always hope.

Maybe it is time to begin again

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