One of the best-known stories in the Bible describes how an adulteress is brought to Jesus to be stoned to death.

Jesus manages to save her from death. The accusers disappear, she is acquitted and allowed to go. I wonder what happened to her life after that. Did she go home, invite her lovers over and say, "I'm glad I got away with it again, now more than ever!"? Or was she changed by this experience? Jesus says something else to her as she leaves: "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11). It was not enough for Him to free her from her guilt and forgive her. He also wanted her to remain free and not start again from the beginning of what had destroyed her life.

This story shows very well how salvation works for us too. There is no crime, addiction, or bad habit that we cannot come to Jesus with.

We have the promise that He will accept us no matter who we are or what we have done. But this is only the beginning. When we start a new life with God, the Bible calls it 'being born again' (John 3, 1-21). What does a baby do when it is born? It grows, it develops. That is exactly what God wants us to do. For a lifetime!

Sounds good in theory. But is it really that easy? Have you ever been at a point where you thought, "This can't go on, something has to change!"?

You were highly motivated and made good resolutions. And then you failed. Maybe you promised God a hundred times that you'd give up a certain thing, and then you failed again. At some point you give up the idea that you can really change. Suddenly there's this distance between you and God. You can't imagine that He still wants you. You feel ashamed and think that you lost His good will long ago... What about growth? What about change through Jesus? Overcoming sins and bad habits?

Change does not happen by our own efforts. What we often do is like trying to pull ourselves out of the mud by our own hair. But it is when we have failed that we need Jesus the most! If you wait for the moment when you are 'good enough' to come to God, when you have 'got your life in order', then nothing will ever happen!

God is not someone who says in horror, "What have you done? I can't believe it." He is like a father who wants to teach us how to walk and patiently helps us back on our feet again and again. A thousand times if necessary! He also gives us victory. No sin, no addiction, no dark power is too strong for Him.

Once we connect with God, we have direct access to the greatest source of power there is! If God's character is to become visible in our lives and in our personalities, there is a simple recipe: daily dialogue with Him and the nourishment we need to grow. When we pray and read the Bible, we give God the opportunity to shape our thoughts and actions. We should be open to that influence! Sometimes this can mean that we see our own imperfections more clearly than ever before. This is perfectly normal. It helps us to be even more grateful for what God has done.

There is a saying: "The more I know, the more I realise that I know nothing". It is the same in life with God. The more I get to know Jesus, the more I realise that there is much more. What counts for God is not how far we have travelled in life, but our direction – the direction of heaven. If you turn towards the right goal, you can't help but move forward. And if you fall, you will get up again. In any case, God has promised that you will reach your goal with Him.

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Bible texts for in-depth study:
Psalm 1:1-2; 23:4; 25:4-5; Matthew 25:31-40; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 5:15-20; 6:12-18; Philippians 3:7-14; Colossians 1:13-14; 2:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:16-18, 23; Hebrew 10:24-25; 12:1-3; 2 Peter 3:18