Welcome to Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022. It’s “02-22-22!” Lots of double numbers, and maybe God wants us to double-down on something doubly important! Read on…
Today's Reading:
Numbers 10,11; Psalms 27; Mark 1
Scripture
“Jesus came into Galilee … preaching the gospel of God and saying, ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel.’”
(Mark 1:14)
Observation
In order to believe the Gospel, there must be a willingness to repent. As I grow, the pace of my faith (how quickly I can believe God for greater things) will be determined by my readiness to repent. It’s that “turning from me” and “turning to Him” that must be a constant. Repentance comes from a Greek word that means “to change your mind.” That is how I change from “glory to glory!”
Sometimes it seems the older we get in the Lord, the slower we are to repent. I mean, we eventually get there, but only after some coercion or grappling. However, a repenting Christian is a growing Christian. This is why the turn-of-the-century missionary, Hudson Taylor, would greet people by asking, “Have you repented yet today?” I’m sure his friends thought that strange; however, Hudson knew that our ability to repent would determine the quality of our faith and relationships.
Application
I need to rate myself on my readiness to repent. I err often, but the question is, do I often repent… or rarely? Repentance is not groveling in the dirt or repeating out loud, “Woe is me.” Repentance is simply the first step in the process of repair and wholeness. I need to “change my mind” to the mind of Christ... to see things the way He sees them and to desire what He desires. One of the greater harms to my soul is not sin … it is unresolved sin. It’s not the problem I have with a loved one... it is leaving that problem unsolved!
That’s where repentance becomes most valuable!
Prayer
Lord, help me to be a man quick to repent. We’re all prone to error, and we are also prone to bury those errors in the sand, as Moses did. However, those attempts at burying our sins will only tempt us to hide more sin: pride, fear of humility, fear of rejection, wanting to save face more than wanting to be transparent. Lord, I am guilty of all the above. Please help me be a man of great repentance so I can be a man of great faith.
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