Tag Archives: repentance

Guilty?

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Every time I read what happened after Jacob’s death it makes me sad. His sons panicked. So they lied to Joseph about their father’s wishes.

“Dad said you should forgive us for being so mean to you when you were a kid. Don’t hurt us now that he’s gone. Dad wouldn’t like that.”

The Bible’s account of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers in Genesis 45 is a beautiful picture of forgiveness. Joseph brought his brothers and their families to Egypt, gave them the best land for grazing their livestock, and took care of them during the famine. How much more could Joseph have done to demonstrate the fact that all was forgiven?

But after all these years since they had been forgiven, Joseph’s brothers must have lived with guilt. It wasn’t Joseph’s forgiveness they needed. It was their own.

When I confess my sin God is faithful and just to forgive me and wash me clean. He promises never to remember my sin or use it against me – ever! But sometimes I live as though I am still guilty. It’s at those times I need to forgive myself. Denying that forgiveness doesn’t honor God. And it’s Satan’s weapon to hold me hostage to that sin.

But, you ask, don’t I deserve to feel guilty for the horrible things I’ve done, the people I have hurt? The answer is, “NO”! Oh, you deserved to feel those feelings before you confessed them to God and received his forgiveness But once you’ve done that you deserve what Jesus died to give you. A fresh start, clean and forgiven. 

I don’t believe we should forgive ourselves before we allow God to wash the sin away. But once we have repented and have been forgiven by God himself, we need to forgive ourselves and live our lives free from the burden of guilt. Think of it.

If you are living with guilt, I would encourage you to lay that heavy burden down at Jesus’ feet and walk away, free from it’s hold. Forgive yourself. Jesus did. 

Dear God, I pray that your people will see the lengths to which you went to forgive us. You died on the cross, you went to hell then rose again. You paid what we could not pay, then handed us a clean slate just for the asking. Forgive us when we think we need to punish ourselves for past sins that you have already forgiven and forgotten. Father, may each of us sinners repent of sin, accept your forgiveness, forgive ourselves as we have been forgiven, and live lives free of the chains of guilt. And may we, with each breath, honor you with obedience and allow you to fill us with your joy.

December 22

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Hebrews 2-6

I love milk. My mom used to tell me that, as a two year old, I would snatch my sister’s bottle if Mom wasn’t looking. These days I have learned to drink low fat milk, but every once in a while I buy just a little of the good stuff and drink it like an alcoholic falling off the wagon.

I love milk! But I enjoy steak and potatoes, chicken, pasta, and well… you know. Limiting my diet to milk was fine when I was an infant. But I’m certainly not limiting myself to milk today.

Is that what’s happening in the Church today? Are too many Christians living on just milk? People hear a lot of sermons about God’s love, about the Good Shepherd, about Jesus who pulled little children on his lap, healed blind people and raised the dead. Many Christians are allowing their pastors or some TV preacher be their only source of food, like a baby who lays in his mother’s arms and receives the only nourishment he gets.

Too many of us don’t devour God’s Word for ourselves. The writer of Hebrews tells us Scripture is “sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (4:12)

The Bible reveals sin, lays us bare, beats us up and forces us to our knees before a holy God. It hurts. It refines. 

Just look at what is going on right now. We are getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the darling little baby in the manger surrounded by cows and sheep, shepherds and angels, and his young mother gazing into that adorable face. Isn’t he cute?

Well, let me tell you about this precious baby. Scripture tells us he grew up to defeat sin, to die a horrible death because you and I disgusted him. He preached about the holiness of God and the fact that you and I just don’t measure up. We aren’t good and capable. We are depraved sinners who he will have no problem sending to hell unless we humble ourselves and accept his grace. Christmas isn’t just about love. It’s about sin.

That’s hard to hear. But, my friend we need to grow up. We are at war here and I am afraid we are an army of infants. Believe me when I say Satan is loving that.

I hope you will take charge of your faith in 2014. I pray that each of us will be students of God’s Word, we will study it, meditate on it, memorize it, pray over it. May we allow it to cut us, penetrate our inner most being and reveal those things for which Christ died. Simply put, may we grow up.

God is holy. He demands holiness of us. Trust me, that’s a command an infant can’t obey.

God, I know you love us more than we can imagine. I know you loved us so much you came to live among us and die so that we could be forgiven when we come to you. But, God I know you don’t stop there. You hate sin. Sin makes you sick and angry. Sin separates us from you and you hate that more than anything. Forgive us when we would rather concentrate on your love and ignore the elephant in the room. We are sinners. And without your saving grace we will go to hell for eternity. God, if some reading this today need to accept you as their Savior, I pray they will do that right now. For those of us who know you but need to grow up, I pray that you will point that out to us. Then, Father give us the courage to do it. We want to be able soldiers in your army. Feed us a little meat today and help us digest it for Jesus’ sake.

December 2

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2 Corinthians 7:1-11:15

Paul talks about “godly sorrow”. What is that? And how does it differ from worldly sorrow? One leads to repentance. One leads to death.

Paul was apologizing for a letter he had written to the Christians in Achaia, the church in Corinth. You know Paul. He tells it like it is. And he must have stepped on some toes with his bluntness. Paul says: Sorry if your feelings were hurt by hearing the truth, but something good came of it. You repented!

7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death”. Godly sorrow produces earnestness, indignation, longing, concern, devotion and encouragement. And all of those are things outside of oneself. That is as it should be when we are faced with our sin. Godly sorrow for sin causes us to bow before our Holy God, to open our hearts and minds to the Savior. Godly sorrow looks up after looking in.

On the other hand, worldly sorrow stays turned inward. It produces depression, anger, despair. The person who is sucked into worldly sorrow is often more concerned with how he is feeling than who he is in Christ. Too often worldly sorrow leads to tragic death.

Now hear me when I say I am not talking about those who have a chemical imbalance. Please PLEASE do not go off your medication. Allow the medicine to do its job. But I would say to all of us, we need to consider sin and respond to it with godly sorrow that leads to repentance. In this case we need to go to the doctor for our physical problems. And to God with our sin.

Have you sinned? I think Paul would tell you to quit beating yourself up about it. Rather look toward your Heavenly Father and see his love, accept his forgiveness, repent and, like we talked about yesterday, begin again with a clean slate.

Father, I pray that when any of us are faced with the reality of sin in our lives it will cause us sorrow. May we quickly confess our sin and accept your forgiveness. May we keep our eyes on Jesus, to look for ways to live out our faith, to win lost souls to you. May we demonstrate your truth that godly sorrow that leads to repentance produces people who are anxious to get out there and lead others to the Savior, too. I pray for any reading this today who are caught in the ugly web of worldly sorrow. May they recognize that as sin, confess it, and look to you for all they need for life – including the joy of being your child.

December 1

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2 Corinthians 2:5-6:18

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When you hold an infant in your arms, aren’t you struck by his innocence? His complete lack of a past? That child can look at you without a hint of regret or sorrow for something he’s done. He has no memory of disobeying, because he’s never disobeyed. He doesn’t carry guilt because he isn’t guilty.

Dear One, that’s how God looks at us when we are born again. When we confess our sins, he forgives, cleanses, and forgets! The old us is gone and we have a new beginning, just like that infant.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (5:21) 

Jesus did that for us and it is ours for the asking. Is Jesus Lord of your life? Have you repented of sin? If you have, you have a clean slate. Understand that God has forgiven you, has paid the price for your past sins, and has forgotten them.

If you have not accepted the Lord, I pray you will ask Jesus into your life and become that new creation. And if you know the Lord as your Savior, but need to speak to him about some unconfessed sin, I pray you will do that today. Let Jesus do what he came to do and make you the righteousness of God through his blood. 

I’m praying for you today.

November 17

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James 4:1-5:20; Acts 11:19-12:25

I hope you read the book of James. There is a wealth of information in each verse. It’s a practical guide book for living the Christian life. It truly is a light to our way.

What are you looking for? Is it health or wealth or success or is it answers to life, strength to meet hardships? Read 4:7-10 and find the answer to having the most extraordinary life. Let James talk to you about God’s will in 4:13-17, about priorities in 5:1-9, about hardships and prayer in 5:10-18. I hope you’ll read and re-read this book and let God speak to you about your walk with him.

In 5:20 James sums up why we live this Christian life in the first place. “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Are you turning sinners from sin? Do you have the wisdom that comes from God and is your life an example of holiness? It’s why God doesn’t take us to heaven the moment we ask Jesus to come into our hearts. While you have life and breath you have a mission. 

May we be faithful to that mission and introduce someone to their Savior today.

Dear Savior, thank you for inspiring your servant to write the words we read the last couple of days. May your children take to heart the things you are saying to us. May we be the people described here. And may our lives represent your holiness. Then, Father, give us opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with a sinner who needs turned around.

 

November 15

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Acts 9:32-11:18

Cornelius was a good man. He even believed in God. But it wasn’t enough. He needed Jesus. So Peter went and shared the Gospel with Cornelius and his whole family. They repented that day, received the Holy Spirit, and were baptized. And they were Gentiles. I love the last verse we read today, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” Yes, even Gentiles!

We’re going to see that God no longer recognizes a difference between Jews and Gentiles. Peter said, in 10:34-35, “…I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Doing that right thing is accepting Jesus as Savior and it doesn’t matter if you are Jewish, Italian, Iranian, German, African, Chinese, or the mixture we call American. 

It’s not enough to believe in God. It’s not enough to be a law-abiding citizen. It’s not even enough to give to the poor or go to church or pay your taxes. Do you know Jesus? Have you accepted his forgiveness? Have you received his grace through faith? If you have, then you are a child of God, one of the chosen.

If you haven’t repented of sin and accepted Jesus as your Savior I pray you will do that. Do the right thing. Give yourself to the Lord and begin to serve him today. I promise you that walking with Jesus is so much better than going it alone.

Heavenly Father, I thank you that salvation is not limited to Jewish people. I thank you it’s not even limited to just good people. Your Word tells us all of us have sinned, none of us reach your glory or even come close. We all need Jesus. So I pray for those who have yet to humble themselves and receive your forgiveness. May they do the right thing today. And may we who know you represent you well so that others will want what we have in you. Some of our friends and neighbors need the forgiveness that only Jesus provides. May hearts turn to you today. 

August 26

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Ezekiel 27:1-28:26, 33:21-33

Some people think being a Christian ought to guarantee health, wealth, and happiness. And in a sense, they are right. God created Adam and Eve who enjoyed all that and more in the Garden of Eden. But when sin entered the picture, things changed. Forever.

Jerusalem was in ruins. And Ezekiel tells us the Jews were questioning God. Shouldn’t they, as descendants of Abraham, “possess the land”? 

God, through Ezekiel in chapter 33 reminds them that as long as sin exists, as long as they disobey God’s commands, they will not possess the land. 

He goes on to say God is not impressed with their worship. They listen to the Word but don’t put it into practice. They express devotion but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 

Ezekiel says you might as well go to a concert and enjoy the music, admire the talented musicians, and be thrilled by the performance for all the good it does to hear God’s Word and not be moved to action. The result is the same. You leave the venue unchanged.

God would remind us today that we cannot enjoy the things God created us to have – joy, fellowship with our holy God, peace, strength, hope – as long as sin exists in our lives. 

The question is: what are you going to do about it? Did you go to church yesterday and hear the Truth proclaimed from the pulpit? Did you allow God to speak to you today when you read his Word? Have you felt him nudge you toward talking to your neighbor or co-worker about the Lord? Have you felt conviction over a sin you’ve committed?

Hearing is the first step. But it’s not the only step. We need to get out there and obey, allowing God’s Word to change us from the inside so we can live for him in the day to day.

Remember, you can’t possess the land, you can’t have that sweet fellowship with the Lord if you have sin in your heart.

Material health and wealth aren’t the focus here. What is important is your heart’s condition in light of Scripture. I pray that you will allow God to defeat sin in your life as you confess and repent. Then you will possess the “land” he has in store for you.

And there is a great view from there!

August 25

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Jeremiah 30-31; Ezekiel 26

God is talking about making a new covenant with Israel. He tells them in the past they were punished for the sins of their parents and grandparents. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”. One day, God says, if you eat sour grapes you will be the one who puckers up. Everyone will die for their own sin.

In the Old Testament, prophets were continually reminding generation after generation the many sins committed in the past. So it must have come as quite a shock when Jeremiah said God, in his new covenant, would forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.

We who live after the cross have a clearer picture of this new covenant. Jesus taught us about sin and repentance, responsibility and choice. And when he tells us he throws our sins into the deepest sea or removes them as far as the east is from the west, when he says he’ll remember them no more – he means it.

I know there are many who believe, because Scripture tells us we will be held accountable for our thoughts and actions on judgment day, there will be a big screen TV playing blue-ray videos of our lives for everyone to see. I know in my heart that won’t happen to me.

You know why? God tells me when I repent of sin he marks the account paid by the Blood of the Lamb. He tosses that sin into the sea and will remember it NO MORE.

So here’s what I see happening. I stand before the throne and look my Holy God in the eye. He says – give me an account of your life, Connie. And before I can utter a word, Jesus steps up beside me and says, “Account paid, Dad.”

Me, standing there remembering my sins, the times I failed God, dishonored him, threw his Word right in his face. Me, remembering the times I could have and should have done more to further his kingdom. God, opening his arms for me and welcoming me home dressed in Jesus’ righteousness.

So does that mean I can live my life any way I want and I’ll get a free pass? Not at all. Every sin I commit comes with a price tag. Every one. If I want Jesus to stand up for me in that day I need to be sure I’m wearing his righteousness. I need to repent, be holy and set apart, I need to be obedient to God’s Word. I need to recognize sin and accept the forgiveness that is mine when I ask him to forgive me.

I’m so thankful God forgives and forgets. But I don’t want to forget. While I’m on this earth I want to remember my failures so I don’t repeat them. I want to remind myself the lengths to which Jesus had to go to wash me clean. I want to live my life out of gratitude, humbly aware that I am a sinner saved by grace. 

Holy God, I know there will be an eternity free from the memories of the sins I’ve committed, compliments of a crucified Jesus. But until that day, Lord let me remember. Let me use those memories to make me want to serve you better, love you more, and run from the temptations that lure me into sin. And thank you, God, for your selective memory. I love you.

August 22

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Lamentation 3-4

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hands have provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Who doesn’t love that old hymn? If you get the chance, why don’t you look it up and read all the verses sometime? The language is dated, but the truth is for today.

The writer of Lamentations kind of sang this hymn in the midst of his sorrow. He looked around and saw the devastation and suffering, he felt the sting of God’s correction.

But in 3:22-24 he states that God is good and God is all he needs. There is hope in these words and if you continue to read you will see even more hope.

God doesn’t like to see his children suffer. In verses 40-42 the writer gets to the heart of it. The truth is, Israel sinned and is experiencing the consequences. Repent, the writer says. Return to the Lord.

If you are experiencing the consequences of sin in your life I would say the same to you. Repent. Return to the Lord. You will receive so much more than you ever imagined:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

July 27

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Jeremiah 16:1-17:27; 2 Kings 22:3-20; 2 Chronicles 34:8-33

I gave my heart to the Lord as a little girl. I grew up knowing I was a Christian and that God loved me. It wasn’t until I was  teenager, though, that I really heard and understood the seriousness of sin. I confessed my sin at the altar of our church, broken before a holy God. With tears I accepted his cleansing and it was at that moment I truly realized what it meant to be  Christian.

What is your response to God’s Word? When you read how God hates sin, when you recognize yourself as a sinner, when you realize your need to repent – what do you do?

Josiah tore his clothes when he heard God’s Word read to him. He was devastated, ashamed, broken. Josiah confessed his sin and accepted God’s forgiveness. Then he got up and began to live life a changed man.

I remember my altar experience of long ago. And I wish I could say I got up from there that day and lived a changed life myself. I have to admit there have been times when my walk with the Lord wasn’t a priority and when I allowed sin to get a grip on my heart. There have been other points in my life when God’s Word cut me like a knife, when I looked into the face of a holy God and recognized my sinful state. There have been other tears of repentance when I’ve allowed God to deal with the sin in my life.

And I hope there continues to be. May I always be sensitive to what God would say to me through his Word. May I read it with an open heart. May I recognize those things in my life that hurt my Lord. And may I, like Josiah, be quick to repent.

I pray the same for you.