Tag: repentance

Too Little, Too Late

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I would like to recommend that you read the entire chapter of I Samuel 15 before reading this post. But I will summarize it just in case your time is short since my post is based on this chapter.

Samuel had recently anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel and then he gave Saul a task. He tells him that the Lord wants him to go and destroy the Amalekites because of their treatment of Israel when they were crossing the wilderness. (15:2-3). So Saul gathers his forces and attacks, but he does not follow the Lord’s command that Samuel clearly told him. Saul was commanded to destroy everything and kill all of the Amalekites. Instead, he captured King Agag and took plunder of the livestock. When Samuel came to see Saul after the battle, Saul greeted him with the lie that he had done just as he was told to do. With what I consider a “gotcha” moment, Samuel asked Saul why he could hear sheep and cows if they were all dead. (15:13-15) Caught in his lie, Saul says that the Israelites planned to offer the animals as a sacrifice to the Lord. God didn’t ask for a sacrifice but for obedience and Samuel makes very clear to Saul that he is losing the throne he just got because of his rebellion. (15:18-23) Saul’s answer is very telling about the condition of his heart.

Instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, Saul blames the people over whom he rules. Not even close to true repentance and definitely too little, too late.

Lest you think that this Biblical story does not apply to you, I would like to point out that many of us are guilty of the same kind of rebellion that Saul practiced. We think our way is better, even when God clearly gives us other instructions. Then when we are caught and facing consequences, we tend to point to others who influenced us. Saul lost his kingdom because of his rebellion. We either obey God completely when He tells us what to do or we are choosing to rebel. God set the course for the entire earth and He is not One who allows rebellion to fester because it leads to others thinking it’s okay so they follow suit. We don’t have a kingdom to lose but how many blessings have we lost out on because we have chosen to go our own way? God opens a door and says to go through it, But, in our own power and what we consider intelligence, we open another door, enter and then when things don’t work out, we rail against God. God then gently but sternly will remind us that was not His plan for us but He allowed us to follow our own plan so that we could learn a valuable lesson, i.e. God’s plan is better and the only one that will succeed, the one that is best for us.

There is a lot of rebellion against God and His commands taking place in our world today. Transgenderism and homosexuality are sins that are rebellion against God. I can hear your sighing and thanking God that you are not guilty of those sins. But we are all guilty of rebellion at some time or another, little fires that we don’t notice that then become big conflagrations in our lives. TV time or devotional with God? Reading a book that you enjoy or prioritizing your time and spending time with God’s Word? I know I am guilty of making wrong choices at times and need to repent, back up and do what I know God would want me to do.

So what do we do when we head in the wrong direction and do the wrong thing? We should genuinely repent and ask God to forgive us instead of using the half-hearted “sorry, not sorry” blame game that Saul employed. God’s Word tells us that He is faithful to forgive if we confess and repent. (I John 1:9) God wants obedience, not sacrifice, and that starts in our attitudes and our hearts. I don’t want to stand before the Father and hear the words “Too little, too late” and I don’t think you do, either.

For a look at genuine repentance, read Psalm 51, David’s plea for forgiveness that is heartfelt and doesn’t blame anyone except himself for his own shortcomings. David was a man and he sinned, but he also repented. I think that is why he received Saul’s kingdom and God called him “a man after his own heart.”

When I read today’s scripture verses, I was hard pressed to understand how God who knows all would establish a king who would fail Him by disobeying. My answer is that God loves us and gives us chances to make the right choices, just as Adam and Eve had a choice in the Garden of Eden. When we fail, and we will because of our humanity, we need to be like David and genuinely repent. Turn away from the sin, change our ways and turn back towards God. God knows our hearts and what we are capable of as well as what rebellion lurks there if we allow it to come in. We have to force the door closed on anything that is not from God, choosing to honor Him in our actions and words, for our good always. Be a David and not a Saul. Don’t make excuses to God…just repent and change. God is a God of great grace, mercy and forgiveness, but we have to want Him more than we want our own way.

A New View of Mourning

On By vickleaIn Admonition, grief, ScriptureLeave a comment

I have always taken this verse as referring to those mourning over a loss, those who are grief stricken when someone they deeply care for has died. And I am sure that applies here, because each time I have lost someone to death, the Holy Spirit has been right there beside me comforting me and letting me know that I am not alone.

In my devotional this morning, Craig Groeschel opened my eyes to a different way to see this verse. What if it also refers to mourning over your sinful state, all of the sins that have separated you from God?

I can definitely see that interpretation, too. I think people today take sin too lightly. “I lied, but it was just a little white lie and it didn’t hurt anyone.” “Yes, I took that from the store without paying for it, but they make tons of money, so they won’t miss it.” “Sure, I am sleeping with my boyfriend! Doesn’t everyone want to try out whether you are compatible before you even think about marriage?” Since sin is rampant, just as it has always been, then we should be fervent in our desire to get others to see the consequences for their sin. We want them to mourn over the fact that their lying, stealing and fornication hurt God’s heart, and ultimately will hurt them for eternity. I would like to think that the everyday people I meet on the street don’t mean to sin; they are just following along with what is accepted in our culture. Nevertheless, sin is sin and it keeps anyone who is a sinner from getting close to the Creator who made them to have a relationship with Him. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of all of my unsaved loved ones who have been duped by Satan and the world into thinking that the little sins don’t count and if everyone is doing it, God can’t send everyone to hell, can he? Why, yes! Yes, He can and He will, even as He cries for those who failed to turn and repent. God is loving, but He is also just. Thus, we should mourn over sin and the condition of the world. Not only do individuals need to mourn over their sin and their lost relationship with God, but we should be mourning with them, in prayer daily for God to show us who is ready to really listen to the truth from His Word. His Comforter is there to help us share the truth and to comfort those who are finally realizing the cost of their sin.

This verse has always been a source of comfort for me when I mourn a lost loved one. Now it will be a source of comfort for me when I see sinners comfortable with their sins. God knows and understands that I cry out to Him for Him to lead them to the knowledge of Him and to comfort them with the joy of His salvation.

The Right Response

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

I was the student in school who raised my hand only when I knew my answer was right, and when I answered, I expected an immediate reply from the teacher that I was right. That immediate kudo that I got was my reward for the right answer. When we repent, turning away from our old life and towards a new one with God, we don’t get an immediate oral response from God as our reward. Instead, what we receive is so much better…it’s a peace that I cannot explain, a feeling of relief that a big burden is gone, and a total feeling of acceptance in a way that you have never been accepted before. Your reward is also a promise of a future spent in eternity with your Creator. So, don’t be afraid to raise your hands toward Heaven and confess your sins to God and your belief in His plan of salvation. The reward is eternal; the consequences of not answering His call to repentance are eternity without Him and separation from God forever. That’s a high price to pay just because you won’t raise your hand. You already know your answer is the right one if you are ready to repent. So, don’t wait…today is the day of your salvation and the beginning of a new life with the Lord!

The Beginning of Our Journey

God has been working within history for thousands of years. His redemptive plan has culminated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. All of God’s promises in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Jesus. 

The book of Acts, which details the life of the early church, contains many long speeches which cover the historical timeline of God’s redemptive activity. Acts 3 is one of those speeches, given by Peter to a group of Israelites. Peter’s speech not only includes historical details, but also a right response to all of this information.

The right response to hearing about what God has done throughout history is to repent and believe in Jesus. When we learn of all that God has done for us, it’s only fitting that we should turn our lives back to Him.

Repentance is when we recognize the truth and we turn towards it. Usually it involves turning away from our own way of life and turning towards God’s way. Repentance is the beginning of our faith journey.

When we repent, God forgives us. We no longer live according to our past mistakes and offenses. Rather, God gives us a new life that is forgiven of those things.

This is why Peter says that times of refreshing follow repentance. Repentance leads to rebirth. We are made into a new creation. We are empowered to walk in the newness of life with God. After beginning this journey with Jesus, we continue it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you haven’t started that journey, begin today by repenting of your sins and turning back to God. He is faithful to forgive you. Pray for Him to guide your life. Continue to read about God’s ways in Scripture so you can grow in your knowledge of Him.

Live as a Child of God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

We change from the inside out, not the reverse. When I put on clean clothes, it doesn’t make me the person I am. What is inside me, inside my heart, determines my choices and makes me who I am. We need to recognize that our sin no longer has the power to separate us from God because we are His children and He calls us to repent and live rightly before Him, totally clean and knowing who we are in Christ. I want my public persona to match the person I am in private, so that I am always and consistently living as a child of God, with the knowledge of my place in Him. I am loved and He forgives me.

True Inward Transformation

Have you ever thought about what a proper response to God looks like when you make a mistake?

It was common in ancient times to tear your clothes as a way of repenting and showing sorrow over mistakes you may have made. It was an outward expression of something happening internally. 

But what would often happen is people would make a public display of repentance without actually repenting in their heart. So, rather than tearing your clothes, God says He would rather you repent in your heart. Tearing your clothes means nothing if your heart isn’t broken before God. Outward expressions should come from true, inward transformation.

And God says that anyone who comes to Him in genuine repentance will experience His grace and compassion. We do not need to fear God’s wrath since we are His children. He encourages us to repent and return to Him when we mess up.

Scripture says that God is slow to anger and abounding in love. Rather than living in guilt and sorrow, God says He will give grace and love instead. He desires that we experience and live within His love, even when we mess up.

What is your first reaction when you mess up? If you try to hide or ignore your sin, take some time to consider why. God wants you to experience freedom and love. Go to Him with what you’re carrying in your heart, and repent of anything that goes against His ways.

Remember that nothing can remove His love from you. He desires that you live in grace and mercy as a child of God.

Confronting Greed

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/28

The lesson we learn from Achan, Ananias and Sapphira is twofold (or perhaps even more). First, we learn that greed in any form has severe consequences. Achan was stoned to death whereas Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead after they lied, all of them trying to hide their own greed. The second lesson is that you cannot hide your sin from God. He sees all, knows all and deals with sin according to His justice system. When we look around at our leaders today, how many of them display greed? I would dare say all of them in some form or another. How many fear God and the consequences of their sin? I don’t want to even guess if any of them do, but I would say that number is small. I am not pronouncing judgment on anyone because that is not my responsibility, but I will say that it would be wise for our leaders to confess, repent and come before the Lord with an honest heart than to face His judgment. God is always the same and He hates sin. How much account will our leaders have to give to God for leading an entire nation of people astray, to worship the false gods of fame, greed and self-aggrandizement. One of God’s key attributes that He seeks is humility. May we remember that and come before Him in true repentance for ourselves and in prayer for our nation and its leaders.

A Hard Heart

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I don’t know if I am the only one, but I admit that I am having difficulty talking to people about the Lord these days. It’s not because I’m not talking, but it seems to be that they are turning a deaf ear to whatever I am saying. I feel like the problem lies not in my speech or in their hearing but in their hearts. People just want to sin, believing either that there is no such thing as judgment or believing that they still have time to change should they want to or believing that they are just fine as they are. Of course, there is scripture about this condition of the heart.

God knew when He sent Moses and Aaron to talk to Pharaoh that he would not listen. Yet, God offered the truth to him anyway, and a chance to change along with it. But Pharaoh continued to harden his heart even to the end and his ultimate destruction. I am convinced that there are people today who won’t listen to anyone God sends to them because they have hard hearts. They are determined to go to eternity without God and I am afraid that God will allow them to perish in their sins because they refuse to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. I cannot change other people’s free choices, but I can and will continue to testify about God’s power, greatness and gift of salvation. It is up to the individuals whether they choose to listen and change or not. I can only do what God has told me to do and then leave the decisions up to the person, praying that God will soften their hearts to really hear and accept the truth.

May you never give up telling the truth and may God bless you with fruitfulness, listening ears and a soft heart in each one you speak with. Have a blessed day!

Thankful for God’s Patience

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I am so thankful that God is always patient with His children. He doesn’t rush us into situations but rather waits for us to make choices, gently guiding us in the right direction. Many today are looking at what is happening in the world and declaring that it can’t be long now before Jesus returns. Maybe that is true. But, just maybe, God is being patient, waiting for as many as possible to turn to Him before Jesus returns and His judgment and wrath are unleashed on an unbelieving and unrepentant people.

God is not being slow or hesitant about the end of the age. His timing is perfect, His plan is in place and He is as ready as we are for this sinful world to end. But He is being patient because there are many who still need to come to Him. I know more than a few myself, and I am sure that you do, too. So, although I am awaiting with great anticipation the coming of the Lord, I am so very thankful for His patience. Maybe one of those He is waiting for is someone close to my heart, too.

May the Lord bless you and your day with good thoughts, good things and the patience to wait expectantly for God, knowing that His timing is always perfect.

Thankful that I Am Accepted

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Many years ago, I sent out various applications to colleges that I desired to attend and then waited anxiously to hear about whether I was accepted or not. I did not get into my first choice, a college that was way beyond my financial capabilities anyway, but I was accepted into Mary Washington, graduated from there and went on to teach. It was during the weeks of waiting for the acceptance letters when I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of what would happen if no one accepted me.

Less than a year after my graduation, I was invited and accepted into the family of God. No anxious waiting, no thoughts about a plan B or even any idea that I would not be accepted. Why not? Because acceptance is a gift from God and He does it well.

There is no favoritism with God, no “show me the money and I will accept you” kind of pseudo-acceptance. God truly accepted me because He shows absolutely no favoritism. I had to confess my sins and repent, true, but that is what everyone who calls on the name of Jesus as Savior has to do. There is no magical formula for acceptance with God, no letters of application to complete and no anxious waiting to see if God will allow you into His family or not. He already has…you have to accept the invitation He sent out long ago when He sent His Son to die for you, and then His acceptance of you is automatic. As someone who struggled most of my young life with being accepted, this is the most amazing gift and one I hope that I never take for granted. And I pray that you know the same acceptance and loving grace that He has shown me. It’s free to you although it cost Jesus dearly.

My prayer of blessing for you today comes from the Holy Bible. Accept His blessing on your life as you read and meditate on the Scripture below.

No Darkness

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Like many people, I hate total darkness. When the electricity is off in our house, it’s extremely dark because we live in a rural area and there are no lights around us at all. We have purchased all kinds of battery operated lanterns and candles for when those times come because although I know the layout of my home well, I don’t want to stumble accidentally and perhaps fall. But, like everything else, God has a good word for this situation.

The darkness is not darkness to God. That boggles my mind but it shouldn’t since He created the night and the day. God can see in the dark just as if it were light.

Now, think about the analogy between sin and darkness. If we have darkness in our hearts (sin), God can see it. We can put on a smile and do all the right things in all the right places and with all of the right people but God is never fooled. The darkness in which we try to hide our sins is like a fully lit room to the Lord. Since we can’t hide our sin from the One who made us, it seems that we should just confess it and make ourselves right before Him, doesn’t it?

Think about the darkness the next time you are in a totally dark and enclosed room and then think about God looking down on you and seeing you as clearly as if it were broad daylight. Remarkable imagery and good to remember that the darkness tries to hide things but God always brings them to light.

May the Lord shine His light ever brightly on you, in you and through you so that others in darkness may see the light and walk towards His truth, mercy and love.