repentance

The Representative

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Some people say that being good is good enough. Yet the Bible tells us that we’re only evil all the time.  Evil doesn’t come from God. It comes from the evil one, Satan himself. So regardless of how good and kind and nice we may be, if we aren’t living in step with God we’re walking in step with Satan. It’s that simple. The truth is hard to swallow. We don’t want to believe that we’re inherently bad.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. Genesis 6:5

Satan masquerades as an angel of light, so his advances in the life of one who isn’t living for God may be enjoyable. It may be full of good things. Satan makes life without God appear attractive, because he wants your soul. Satan has no love for anyone, so he will fool even the kindest, most gracious person into believing they can live a fulfilling life without God.

Even Christians have a longing for more. We know deep down that our deepest longings won’t be satisfied this side of heaven. So we long for eternity with Christ. That will be the ultimate fulfillment of every longing we’ve ever had. But unrepentant nonbelievers who are attempting to fulfill their longings on this earth in any way possible without God are sadly marching straight into an eternity in hell. 

When God created us, he said his creation was good. When we are living against God’s will, we are God’s goodness distorted. Original sin is born and bred in each of us. There’s no way out of it. God didn’t intend for those made in his image to fall into sin, but Adam and Eve’s sin can’t be reversed. And it has impacted the lives of everyone born since then. The intent to sin is a part of our human nature.

While watching a tv show recently, I heard one of the characters say “We can do a whole lot of good by breaking one little rule.” It got me thinking. We can justify wrong behavior anytime we want. But does that make it right? In this made-for-tv situation, the act of breaking a rule would save someone’s life. So in the medical drama, the doctors broke the rule and saved the life of one who would have died. But does that make it right? Are we ever justified in breaking the rule or law in order to do good? Some would say yes. Others might say no. That’s an in-depth discussion for another day.

The thing is. Without God, our natural bent is toward evil. That doesn’t mean we’re all capable of murder or some other horrible crime in our current state of mind, but if we give in one temptation at a time, who knows the level we are capable of stooping to and calling it justified. We are selfish, self-centered people when we choose to live without God.

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. Ephesians 2:1-2

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:28-32

The apostle Paul tells us that as believers we are representing Christ. So if we aren’t believers, we’re representatives of Satan. There is good news! We can change sides and start representing Christ. It’s a simple matter, but it’s an act of self sacrifice and obedience to Christ. The dividends are out of this world, though.

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17

Those who haven’t chosen to represent Christ can do so today. Confess your sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. He will wipe your slate clean and will never remember your sins. You are a new child of God, and you represent Jesus Christ your Savior. Do it today while there is still time. Eternity is just around the corner.

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:10-14

If I Could Turn Back Time

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I wonder. Did Abraham ever look back and regret asking Sarah to tell others she was his sister? Did he ever regret having a son with his wife’s servant? Did Lot ever regret choosing the land near Sodom and Gomorrah? Did he regret not asking Abraham for recommendations for future husbands for his daughters instead of choosing men who scoffed at God’s commands? Did Lot’s daughters ever regret having children with their drunken father? Would Abraham roll over in his grave today if he knew all the trouble his descendants from Ishmael caused throughout history?

Did Jacob ever regret tricking his brother not once, but twice? Did he finally understand how awful it felt to be deceived after his father-in-law turned the tables on him? Did Esau ever regret hating his brother? Did Rebekah ever regret advising Jacob to deceive his father? Did David regret seducing Bathsheeba and having her husband killed in battle? Did Adam and Eve ever regret taking a bite of the forbidden fruit? Did Cain regret killing his brother, Abel? Did Jonah regret running from God? 

We could got through the entire Bible and read about the incidents that could cause one to face regrets at a later date. Our Bible heroes weren’t perfect people. They too had moments of failure and messed up their lives. And sometimes it was in big, unrepairable ways. Some of them caused problems for future generations of their family. And they never saw or felt the full impact of their sins because they died beforehand.

We may never know the true impact our sinful actions may cause others. We may never see the final result of our sins. Our families may be the ones who are faced with life-altering circumstances because of our failures. Tragedies may fall on our loved ones because of our decisions. Do we take future consequences into consideration when we act without thinking?

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Acts 3:19

The regret of “if only” is real. If only I hadn’t said those words. If only I would have said it differently. If only I hadn’t gone there with her. If only I had driven myself. If only I had said “no.” If only I had said “yes.” If only I hadn’t spent so much money. If only I hadn’t accepted that awful job. If only I hadn’t eaten all that food. If only I hadn’t looked at that website. And the list could go on and never end. 

I recently read an article about the apostle Paul’s prayers. It was mentioned that rarely did he pray for his wants and needs. Sure. We know the story of his prayers for God to remove the thorn in his flesh. And he also asked his fellow believers to pray for his safety while traveling and preaching the gospel. But he never prays for his belly to be full. Or for a closet full of clothes. He doesn’t ask God to help him get approved for the mortgage he can’t afford. He doesn’t pray to find a godly wife or to have children. In fact, he doesn’t even pray for his situation to change. Not even while he sits in prison. Instead. He prays for his spiritual needs. And perhaps it’s time for us to pray more for our own spiritual needs instead of our physical needs and wants. I wonder, if we did that, how many fewer “if only” moments would we experience in life.

Regrets and “if onlys” don’t have to break us. We can use our past struggles to help mentor other struggling believers who are seeking guidance We can learn from our sins to help guide others who are struggling with sin. We can become disciplers of new believers and teach them to live a godly life and become strong followers of Christ. We can use what we’ve learned from our mistakes to help others not make the same poor decisions. 

The thing is. We can’t go back. We can’t undo what we’ve done. We can only go forward, while we look back with regret. We can’t change the past, but we can be forgiven for our past sins. We won’t forget the wrongs we have committed against God and others, but we can have our slate wiped clean from sin. We can’t turn back time, but God can turn our hearts around to following him. We can live redeemed only when we repent and stop sinning. Forgiveness may not change the consequences of our sins, but it will change our eternity.

Does Your God Fall Over?

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The Israelites were at it again. They had turned their backs on God again. And again. And God kept reminding them through his prophets that if they didn’t repent and return to obeying him, they would be severely punished. But they didn’t listen. They made their own gods and worshipped them. But when life got tough. When the drought and famine came along, and neighboring countries defeated them, then they cried out to God. Where are you? They asked. Why aren’t you taking care of us? And all the time God had been speaking through his prophet to turn back to him, they had ignored him. And now they wanted his help.

“When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?’ “Then you will give them the Lord ’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me. So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’ Jeremiah 16:10-13

We can’t just fall in step with the majority and worship the god of the moment. Whatever is visually appealing isn’t what should take priority in our lives. We see in Isaiah that the Son of God was not attractive at all. He was ordinary to a fault. Yet he was God. He was worthy of our praise, our adoration and our allegiance.

This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”
Jeremiah 10:2‭‭-‬5 NLT

I wonder what God would say to us today. Does his rebuke still stand? We in this world who have made our own gods out of so many man-made items. Do our gods stand on their own today? Or do they fall over?

As long as it’s still today, we have time to repent and turn from our false gods. What do you say we do that? Let’s not make unto ourselves any graven images. Let’s serve the God who is fully capable all on his own of doing anything and everything.

I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost; Christianity without Christ; forgiveness without repentance; salvation without regeneration; politics without God; and Heaven without Hell.

William Booth

The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! Jeremiah 10:14-16

How many gods do we need? After all, there is only one true God who rules the universe. All other gods are man-made who can do nothing. They’re worthless. Why do we spend so much time worshipping them? They can’t hear us when we pray. They don’t know our needs. They do nothing for us but leave us feeling empty.

Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem. “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress. Jeremiah 11:13-14

I know, Lord , that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. Jeremiah 10:23

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

Why not worship the one God, the one true God who knew us before we were even born? The God who knows the number of hairs on our heads. He who created us knows everything about us. The number of days we will live. He knows everything we will do and say. He knows the good, the bad, and the ugly. And he still loves us. He’s ordained our lives from the moment of conception to our final breath. He’s created us to worship the Creator of life, not the creation. How often do we consider the One who created all things?

Does your god fall over? Can your god pick you up when you’ve been let down? When life is crashing all around, does your god comfort you? If you feel comforted for awhile, does the comfort last? When you need your god the most, is he available? Does he hear you? Or provide for you? Do you trust your god?

Come every one who is thirsty in spirit;
Come, every one who is weary and sad.
Come to the fountain, there’s fullness in Jesus –
All that you’re longing for; Come and be glad!

I will pour water on him that is thirsty;
I will pour floods upon the dry ground.
Open your heart for the gifts I am bringing;
While ye are seeking Me I will be found.

Child of the world, are you tired of your bondage?
Weary of earth-joys, so false, so untrue?
Thirsting for God and His fullness of blessing?
List to the promise, a message for you.

Child of the Kingdom, be filled with the Spirit!
Nothing but fullness thy longing can meet.
’Tis the enduement for life and for service.
Thine is the promise, so certain, so sweet! 

Lucy Rider Meyer

One Nation Under God

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Yes. We are a nation under God. Whether we act like it or not. Whether we live like it or not. God is still and always will be in control.  Oh. We’re living in troubled times. That’s for sure. Racial injustice. Unnecessary killings. Mob violence. Anarchy. Selfish demands. Pandemic. Unemployment.

But we are still a nation under God. He is in control. He is allowing this mess to happen. He knows exactly why these things are taking place. And he is letting us run rampant in our sin.

We’ve done this to ourselves. You know that.

Oh. This country was founded on religious freedom. Our forefathers left one country to find a place where they could freely worship God. How far we’ve come from that. It seems that now we worship anything but God. Anything and everything has become our god.

Will we ever learn? Will we ever fall on our knees and repent? As a nation, will we ever put God first? When was the last mass revival of people repenting and turning to God? We keep digging our nation deeper and deeper into sin.

We are warned in the Bible that there will be all kinds of trouble in the last days. The thing is. The people who lived in Bible times thought they had it bad. They were sure that Jesus was coming back soon. And look. It’s been how many years since that time? Thousands of years. And the times are even worse now.

You should know that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

2 Timothy 3:1-5

The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. Numbers 14:18

Israel was also a nation under God. And they disobeyed him time and time again. Look where it got them. They were torn apart. Two separate kingdoms. Yes. There were times when God gave them what they wanted. They wanted their own king. Why? Because they wanted to be like all the other nations. Instead of being content with serving God and listening to the prophet’s words, they wanted a king. So God gave them a king. And that king failed them.

God had promised to bless the nation of Israel for generations. He doesn’t renege on his promises. But they lost faith in him. They turned to other gods. They lived for their own pleasure and not for God. And after a time, their neighbors attacked them. Took them prisoner in their own land. Made them pay heavy taxes. Made them slaves. And finally. Finally. They remembered the times of their ancestors. When life was good. They knew the stories of how their ancestors lived in peace with themselves and with their neighboring countries and with God. So they turned back to God. Repented of their sins. He heard their cries and forgave them. They regained their freedom and their good name. Aahhhh. Life was good. Again.

But as time went by. The cycle repeated itself. Over and over. They walked away from God. Thought their fake idols were better than the real God. They ignored God’s leading. They did their own thing, because it was easier than obeying God. So, here we are today. The sins of the fathers have crept into every generation.

No. We’re not the Israelites. They were God’s chosen people, but they chose not to stay faithful to him. We in this country feel special. We feel chosen. We believe we’re the greatest nation on earth. We’re only great if we are following God’s leading. But no. We removed prayer from schools and called it separation of church and state. We kill unborn babies and call it freedom of choice. We approve every form of lifestyle and call it pride. We’ve disregarded morals and call it authenticity. We worship created things rather than the Creator and call it good.

The thing is. God will not impose his will on us. He will not make us repent. Oh. He could. But he won’t. We have to want to change. We have to accept the outreached hand of forgiveness before it’s too late.

We can change.  One household at a time. One heart at a time. Let’s truly be one nation under God.