Skip to main content

Repentance



During the Season of Lent, the emphasis of the early church was of repentance, fasting, prayer and giving alms. This was all to prepare for the Easter Celebration. So let's look at the emphasis on repentance.

Repentance is simply a change of direction of the heart. If you are living solely for yourself and your own pleasure, God is calling you to repent or change that direction and head towards Him. There are many places where repentance is emphasized in scripture.

Jonah (tiny little book in the Old Testament)

Jonah was a prophet who was tasked by God to deliver a message to the city of Nineveh. The message was to give them a choice. Repent from their wicked ways or face judgment and destruction. Jonah was a somewhat unwilling prophet, but he finally realized how important the message was to God. The message was delivered and the city changed. God is serious about the message of repentance, but it has to sink into our hearts before it can change anyone around us.

John the Baptist. We call him “the baptist.” Not that he ever shook the preacher's hand in a Baptist church ;-)

When God wanted to give the nation of Israel a birth announcement about His coming Son, he sent John ahead to “prepare the way” (Mark chapter 1). The main point in his message was to repent and be baptized. Crowds went into the wilderness where John lived to hear this message and be baptized in the Jordan river. Remember, John wasn't just preaching to heathen, he was preaching to Israel and the House of God. This message of repentance was so important that it was tied to the coming of the Messiah! 


As we observe Lent to prepare our hearts for Easter, we too should consider repentance. Even the holiest of Saints can admit to detours in our path to God. We should take time to examine our hearts and ask God to help us identify places in our lives that don't line up with the direction He has for us. Repentance will put us back on track and “Prepare the Way” for the Resurrection Celebration at Easter.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ever Noticed....

I know this blog has become a ghost-town recently. So I thought I'd better dust off the cobwebs. I was watching TV. During a break I had to watch a local car lot commercial. I hate local car commercials. They are selling the #2 big purchase that most people make and they treat you like an idiot. Why would I want to buy anything from someone who is waving their arms around screaming at me. So, I turned the channel. It landed on a TV evangelist. I'll let you connect the dots. Peace.
4 comments
Read more

The Hard Sell

I was hanging out in one of the local coffee dives this week. (I know quicken will tell me how much I'm spending on coffee, but I really don't want to know) Anyway, sitting across the room is an Air Force Recruiter. He was sitting on one side of a table, a frustrated mother was in the middle and a rough looking teen was on the other side. I was trying to focus on my late' and a book, but the dude was using his outside voice. I think he thought louder is more convincing. So I spent the next 30 minutes listening to a hard sell on how the military will straighten this kid's life up and give him a purpose. I wondered if this guy also did used car commercials on TV. Keep in mind, I'm as patriotic as you can be. My dad was career military. I was on my way to the Air Force Academy when I decided on a life in the ministry. I actually wore red, white and blue shoes in the 70's. OK, bad image, but you get my point. THIS GUY WAS ANNOYING ME FROM 30 FT AWAY. I just wanted t...
3 comments
Read more

Lent

What it's not. It's not Biblical. There are no stories in the Bible of the season of Lent. No character ever said that he's giving up something for Lent. There's no passage that says, “Thou shalt observe Lent!” It's also not Roman Catholic. Although it is mostly only observed in liturgical churches, it isn't exclusive to them. It's not voodoo for Evangelical Protestants to observe. No one's going to revoke your church membership or tie you up and drop you off at the nearest Episcopal church. It's also not just about giving up stuff and having someone rub ashes on your forehead. Even though that is the only thing you may have been exposed to. It's much deeper than that. What it is. I believe it is Beneficial. And I do believe it is Biblical in the way that it is rooted in Biblical truths. Everyone can use a seasonal reminder of self sacrifice, giving, and prayer. In fact, it is so rooted in those truths that it should b...
2 comments
Read more