Jesus came to give us grace, undeserved favor, and to take away the sin in our lives. He took the punishment for our sin. But sin causes brokenness and has other consequences. For example, I was an alcoholic for 10 years before I became a Christian. Alcoholism had broken me as a person and I'd hurt some people who loved me dearly.
That didn't disappear the minute I became a Christian. Romans 12:2 invites us to let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. I accepted that invitation and renewed my mind with God's word and felt his love for years as he healed and restored my brokenness.
It took a long time because I was very broken and I wouldn't let go of some things and I was able to restore some of the relationships I had broken before. Real, lasting change in our thoughts, beliefs, emotions and desires isn't something we can do. Holy Spirit works this change in us as we surrender the parts of us that need to be changed.
It was and is a daily process of receiving new mercies every morning, a new touch from God, a healing touch, a restoring touch, new hope, new courage, new life every day. Lamentations 3, verses 22 to 23 the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end.
They're new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Stand on this promise.