As we read and study the 49 scriptures containing Jesus's commandments, let's ask God to help us observe His words, apply them, and faithfully follow them throughout our lifetimes. The command we will focus on today is "Repent."
Verse of the Day
“From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’”
Matthew 4:17 NLT
——In Other Words——
“From that time Jesus began to tell people his message: ‘Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.’”
Matthew 4:17 ERV
Lesson of the Day
Repentance is the first thing we need to do. We cannot truly say that we love Jesus or God if we refuse to repent. We must allow God to change our hearts, feel genuine sorrow for the wrong we have done, and decide that we want to live lives modeled after Jesus Christ.
A changed heart will feel sorrow for doing wrong. We are all born into sin. In fact, we do not have to be taught to do wrong—it comes naturally. We have to be taught to do what is right. That is why the Bible tells us:
“Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 KJV
Before understanding repentance, many of us did wrong without experiencing godly sorrow. We may have heard our parents’ voices in our minds saying, “Don’t do that,” but we still had to face ourselves and ask, “Is this the right thing to do?”
We all struggle with our morals and values at times. In the workplace, we may feel pressured to go along with the team because we want to keep our jobs. Children may do things that are out of character because they want to fit in.
When Jesus gave us the perfect gift of salvation, He freed us to make righteous decisions. We may still struggle in certain areas, but Jesus gives us peace in knowing that when we stand our ground for righteousness, He will help us endure whatever people may do. The Bible teaches us not to fear what people can do to us.
Repentance leads to freedom. When we repent of our sins and ask Jesus to come into our hearts, we are no longer slaves to sin. We are free to live righteously, love Jesus, and love God.
Repentance is more than simply saying, “I’m sorry.” It means being sincerely sorry for what we have done and being willing to turn away from it. It is the kind of sorrow that may bring us to our knees in tears as we ask God for forgiveness. We must mean it with all our hearts.
This does not mean that everyone will physically fall to their knees or cry every time they repent. Tears alone do not prove repentance. The evidence of genuine repentance is a changed heart and a sincere decision to turn away from sin and toward God.
ENCOURAGEMENT
I believe my calling is to teach believers how to live lives modeled after Christ. I am not perfect. I struggle just like the next person, but God shows me when I am wrong. Each day, He is leading me into a deeper life of righteousness.
God has shown me that many of us live the Christian life in one of these ways:
1. Carnally—“I’m saved, but God knows my heart. He knows I sin from time to time.”
2. Holier than Thou—“I’m the best Christian in the world, and I don’t do anything wrong.”
3. Safely—“I’m saved, and that’s all I need to do. I’m going to Heaven. Everyone else is on their own.”
These are the three categories God showed me, often through lessons from my own life. I have been in all three at different times. Now, I am moving more into the role of a disciple—someone who is disciplined, follows Jesus, and is willing to examine their own ways.
I used to be a carnal Christian. I did whatever I wanted and thought I was repenting simply because I asked God to forgive me. Sometimes, I asked for forgiveness right before committing the sin I had already decided to commit. That was not repentance.
Now, I want to be sober-minded so I can hear God and remain alert to the enemy’s schemes. I will not be perfect or recognize everything until I leave this world. None of us will. However, knowing that we cannot be perfect does not mean that we should stop trying to live righteously. We should sincerely pursue righteousness every day and depend on the Holy Spirit to help us. When we sin, we must repent because none of us is without sin.
I was also once a holier-than-thou person. A holier-than-thou person focuses on other people’s sins, criticizes them, and believes in their heart that they do not sin. That is one of the devil’s traps. This attitude can push sinners farther away from Jesus by making them believe that being a Christian is too difficult or that they will only be condemned.
I learned that the hard way. I wanted to reach my husband, so I made sure I was in church every Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I stayed in my Bible all day and sang God’s praises all night—but my judgmental approach drove him away from God. Now, I allow the Holy Spirit to deal with my husband. I also make sure to give him time with me that does not include Bible reading, praise songs, or judgment.
I was also once a safe Christian. I did not want conflict in my life. I was saved, went to church on Sunday, and left my Bible in the car until the following Sunday. I did not speak to anyone about God.
My husband and I noticed that when we did more for God, bad things seemed to happen. We thought it would be safer to “just be saved.” As I remember those days, I realize we were only fooling ourselves. The Bible says:
“…the sun rises for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong.”
Matthew 5:45 ERV
This means that we will all experience good times and bad times. Another scripture says it plainly:
“I also saw other things in this life that were not fair. The fastest runner does not always win the race; the strongest soldier does not always win the battle; wise people don’t always get the food; smart people don’t always get the wealth; educated people don’t always get the praise they deserve. When the time comes, bad things can happen to anyone!”
Ecclesiastes 9:11 ERV
Now, I want to be a disciple. I want to live a life modeled after Jesus Christ. Jesus did not sin, so I will try not to sin and repent when I do. Jesus did not go around self-righteously condemning people or making them feel that He was above them. He spoke the truth, confronted sin, and called people to repentance while showing mercy and compassion. I will strive to be humble.
Jesus was about His Father’s business. I will continue writing this blog daily and doing whatever God leads me to do.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the reason we repent. We want to be with You in Heaven. We want to love the way You love and love others as we love ourselves. You saved us from ourselves and gave us an opportunity to repent and become part of Your family.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You for all that You do for us. Help us understand what repentance truly means and recognize the things for which we need to repent. We were born in sin, but we are no longer prisoners of sin. We are free to pursue righteousness.
Guide us into righteous living and lead us along the path You have prepared for our lives. May our lives imitate the life of Jesus on earth.
In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.