So I'm often confronted with people who tell me that their lives are good and they wouldn't change a thing about the way they live. I have to say a number of years ago I was saying and thinking in quite the same fashion. My theory of thought was quite simply, "It's my life and I'm going to do exactly what I want to do." I really did.not take into account how my selfish behavior was effecting people in my life. Put simply my life was corrupt. I was more concerned about my well being and quite frankly if you did not like what I was doing, tough!! I could go into a long dialogue about my old behavior and how I treated folks but it really serves no positive purpose.
What it does bring me to is this weeks topic, which is Repentance. Yes, a topic that in today's modern world gets very little attention. This attitude is not only from the world's perspective but also from the perspective of people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but a worldly sorrow brings death." Also in 2 Peter 3:9 we read " The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
So you can feel bad about how you have behaved or treated people. You can even ask someone to forgive you for some wrong you may have done to them. But does that mean your repentant? Maybe your just sorry because you got caught doing something you shouldn't have been doing. People always feel bad after they get caught. But if you truly repent, then we wouldn't find folks repeating the same behaviors. The same behaviors always bring the same results. I also had a person tell me once, "I feel real bad about the situation right now, but I'll get over it."
John F. MacArthur Jr. wrote, "The salvation of a soul is not the stale transaction many people think it is. Redemption is not just a matter of divine accounting. God does more than keep the books on who is in and who is out. He weeps over the lost and celebrates whenever one is saved. His pain is profoundly deep over humanity's lostness, and his joy is full when a sinner repents.
This is why when looking at scripture it was the robbers, thugs, prostitutes and other obvious sinners who accepted the message of Christ the Lord. They new they were hopelessly lost. On the other hand those who viewed themselves as righteous or (good enough) rejected Christ''s message. The same hold true today sadly enough.
I personally want to please the Lord. If Jesus is truly the Lord of your life, I can make the assumption that you would want to please him also. So is it OK to be just OK with your Christian walk? Absolutely not.
Repent and be saved, was the topic that Jesus constantly addressed to the people that were willing to listen.. The message hasn't changed.
My prayer this week is taken from an old song:
CreLate in me a clean heart, O Lord
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away
From thy presence ,Oh Lord
And take not thy
Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me
the joy of my salvation
And renew a right spirit within me.
GBY
1 comment:
Thanks for the post David.
Luke 17:3
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
God's forgiveness is conditional, in that it is tied to the person and work of Jesus Christ, and met with repentance towards God and Faith in Jesus Christ. No repentance = no forgiveness. Likewise, we are not to forgive people who do not repent. Most people think that we are supposed to run around forgiving people who don't want forgiveness, but that is not a biblical concept. When a person murders your family, you don't need to forgive them unless they show the fruits of repentance. This doesn't mean that we should have hatred towards our enemies, but that we should rather desire to see them come to repentance, so they can thus truly be forgiven by both us and God Himself.
Post a Comment