Luke 15:10 Jesus concluded: “In the same way, I
tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner who repents.”
Every
day, I do something wrong. I say the wrong thing or forget to do the right
thing. I break a promise that I made or neglect an obligation I meant to
fulfill. I break one of God’s commandments or I deliberately go against
Christ’s Word. In short, I am a habitual sinner who needs to repent every
single day.
When
I’m made aware of my mistakes, I get defensive at first. I don’t want to claim
the sin as my own or take the blame for what is wrong. I’m just like a
quarterback that I watched recently on television who threw a terrible ball
which his receiver could not catch. As he ran off the field, he looked to his
coach and I lip-read his words: “It wasn’t me,” he said. He didn’t want to take
ownership of his mistake and, unfortunately, his attitude permeated across the
entire team. Needless to say, they lost the game.
After
initially being defensive, I later realize that I’ve made a mistake and seek
forgiveness for what I’ve done wrong. This process is called repentance in the
Bible and it involves letting go of my pride by humbly asking for God’s pardon.
So long as I recognize that my sinful behavior, misdeed, or mistake is wrong, I
can repent. If ever I believe that my sinful behavior is acceptable, then even
God cannot help me and His grace can never be applied to my life.
That’s
why there is a lot of rejoicing in Heaven when a sinner truly repents and returns
to God. The free will choice to do as we please can either be a blessing or a
curse. When we choose to repent, we are restored to God and Heaven rejoices; that’s
also when the beauty of God’s grace can positively change our lives forever.
Questions for personal reflection
When have I ever
truly repented before God? Is there something that I am still reluctant to
confess to Him?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we were created to
worship God and enjoy Him forever. Sometimes we worship our lifestyles and
idolize our choices. Keep us from harming our souls and prevent us from
following spiritual paths that lead to dead ends. Help us to see the need to
repent and release us from our unconfessed sins. In Your Holy Name, we humbly
pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin
Presbyterian Church
in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message,
please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is John’s latest Fall drawing called “Autumn Delight” and features the
Glade Creek Mill in the Babcock National Park of West Virginia. If you would
like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8182/7993843085_4173874080_b.jpg
