Daily Repentance

 

AN OLD WOMAN having lost the use of her eyes, called in a Physician to heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses: that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money; but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing. This agreement being made, the Physician, time after time, applied his salve to her eyes, and on every visit took something away, stealing all her property little by little. And when he had gotten all she had, he healed her and demanded the promised payment. The Old Woman, when she recovered her sight and saw none of her goods in her house, would give him nothing. The Physician insisted on his claim, and. as she still refused, summoned her before the Judge. The Old Woman, standing up in the Court, argued: "This man here speaks the truth in what he says; for I did promise to give him a sum of money if I should recover my sight: but if I continued blind, I was to give him nothing. Now he declares that I am healed. I on the contrary affirm that I am still blind; for when I lost the use of my eyes, I saw in my house various chattels and valuable goods: but now, though he swears I am cured of my blindness, I am not able to see a single thing in it." (An Aesop Fable) Be sure your sin will seek you out – repentance is due.

[Luke 24:44-47] When Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach the gospel to all the world, He explained the Old Testament theme of His coming death, burial, and resurrection (v.44-46). He then continued with this intended purpose - “…and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all the nations…” (v.47). While addressing the Men of Athens, the apostle Paul said, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent…” (Acts 17:30). Repentance is a God-given command which is necessary for salvation (Acts 2:38). It is not a one-time act, as some suppose and display, but rather an ongoing change of mind and heart that results in being shaped and transformed by the will of God (Romans 12:1-2). If Christians expect to receive remission of sins on a regular basis, the Bible teaches they must daily live for God – a relationship that involves a constant state of repentance and confession of sins (Luke 9:23-26; 1 John 1:7,9). 

What happens when people stop repenting? * People stop having a sense of sorrow for their sins. * People start feeling a false sense of eternal safety. * People justify sinful acts. * People crucify Jesus all over again. * People let their faith grow weak, their dedication diminish, and their relationships fail. * People harden their heart and become nearly untouchable when it comes to spiritual and eternal truths. Nobody is immune to the reality of this problem. When Jonah preached in Nineveh, the whole country repented. But God allowed them to be destroyed a few years later – why? They stopped repenting! Strong Christian marriages fall apart after years of success – why? Because spouses stop being sorry for poor behavior and they stop forgiving each other. Aging, mature Christians leave the church – Why? Because they cease to call upon their indebtedness to Christ. 

And YOU – well, YOU struggle in the same areas of faith – why? Because there are some things, even in this moment, for which you need to repent, but you have allowed Satan to talk you out of it. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted…” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Allow God’s love through Christ to continually shape your mind and heart and empower your life unto salvation - and you will be saved! Only bad things will happen when people stop repenting. The opportunity to repent is a great blessing from God. It is cleansing; it is transforming; it is eternal life! Don’t step into eternity blind!