Repentance -The 180 of Your Life
Have you ever done something and later regretted it terribly?! Have you ever said sorry to someone you have done wrong?! Guilt is a feeling that keeps us in a dark mental state where we feel disconnected from God. In this sense, guilt is something awful. But guilt can also do great things in our lives. Without the feeling of guilt, how would we know that we have done something wrong?! Some people say this feeling we get when we do something wrong is our moral compass or, as I would call it, the Light of Christ. Most importantly, we should never suppress this feeling because it serves a divine purpose. Instead, we should develop a growth mindset to figure out what we have done wrong and then try to not do it again.
In the New Testament, we read of a story where a woman is brought before Jesus. The men who caught her claimed she was guilty of adultery. Let's see how Jesus resolves the situation: >> “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”; “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” << (John 8:7b-11; NIV) This is powerful. Jesus just told the woman that He does not condemn her. This is a symbol of how Jesus judges. He has an infinite capacity to forgive us for our wrongdoings. But there is a catch. Jesus does not just say: " Hey woman, I can find no guilt on you, so go home, put on your pajama, and watch some Netflix, you deserve it. Case dismissed."; NO, instead He proclaims her free of guilt but commands her to leave her life of sin. THIS is what repentance looks like. There is a way for us to come back from a life of sin and from the path of shame. The only thing that we have to do to show that we really mean it is to stop doing what we have been doing wrong the whole time. No, it is not just "I will cheat only on minor tests from now on", or "I will watch only soft porn from now"; it is a turn of about 180 degrees. In fact, the Hebrew meaning of "repentance" literally is to turn around physically. The best way to not do something wrong again is to walk away from it and the temptation that has led you there.
Through the Atonement of the Messiah - the eternal sacrifice - we have the chance to push the reset button and start again in regard to our sins. But repentance has even more potential. It can not only cleanse us, but it can heal us. >> If we fail to forgive ourselves when God has done so, we make ourselves a higher judge than Him. << (C.S. Lewis) We should not just sit there in despair and ashamed of our past. Yes, we must learn from the mistakes we have made, but if God has forgiven us, why shouldn't we move on?! In this way, repentance can help us to see ourselves in a better light.
I know that In my life, repentance has done great things. Through God's forgiveness, I could focus on the future and let go of all the extra weight from my past. Yes, sometimes the process of repentance can be a hard one, even painful. To everyone in the middle of this life-changing process I want to say one thing: hang in there. It is worth it. And the best thing, it is one more step toward a life with God, filled with joy and inner peace. Isn't this what we all want?
Picture source:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiszLqmpbHnAhWRpp4KHQiICIQQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fimgflip.com%2Fi%2Fd128o&psig=AOvVaw378IWKn1Ca9H0ppyf1sTmv&ust=1580678717457542
In the New Testament, we read of a story where a woman is brought before Jesus. The men who caught her claimed she was guilty of adultery. Let's see how Jesus resolves the situation: >> “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”; “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” << (John 8:7b-11; NIV) This is powerful. Jesus just told the woman that He does not condemn her. This is a symbol of how Jesus judges. He has an infinite capacity to forgive us for our wrongdoings. But there is a catch. Jesus does not just say: " Hey woman, I can find no guilt on you, so go home, put on your pajama, and watch some Netflix, you deserve it. Case dismissed."; NO, instead He proclaims her free of guilt but commands her to leave her life of sin. THIS is what repentance looks like. There is a way for us to come back from a life of sin and from the path of shame. The only thing that we have to do to show that we really mean it is to stop doing what we have been doing wrong the whole time. No, it is not just "I will cheat only on minor tests from now on", or "I will watch only soft porn from now"; it is a turn of about 180 degrees. In fact, the Hebrew meaning of "repentance" literally is to turn around physically. The best way to not do something wrong again is to walk away from it and the temptation that has led you there.
Through the Atonement of the Messiah - the eternal sacrifice - we have the chance to push the reset button and start again in regard to our sins. But repentance has even more potential. It can not only cleanse us, but it can heal us. >> If we fail to forgive ourselves when God has done so, we make ourselves a higher judge than Him. << (C.S. Lewis) We should not just sit there in despair and ashamed of our past. Yes, we must learn from the mistakes we have made, but if God has forgiven us, why shouldn't we move on?! In this way, repentance can help us to see ourselves in a better light.
I know that In my life, repentance has done great things. Through God's forgiveness, I could focus on the future and let go of all the extra weight from my past. Yes, sometimes the process of repentance can be a hard one, even painful. To everyone in the middle of this life-changing process I want to say one thing: hang in there. It is worth it. And the best thing, it is one more step toward a life with God, filled with joy and inner peace. Isn't this what we all want?
Picture source:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiszLqmpbHnAhWRpp4KHQiICIQQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fimgflip.com%2Fi%2Fd128o&psig=AOvVaw378IWKn1Ca9H0ppyf1sTmv&ust=1580678717457542
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