Tag: repentance

Stages in the Journey

As we come out of our spiritual “Egypt” and go on our way to the “Promised Land,” we all go through stages in our journey of faith.

When we start out, everything in Christianity is new and different. We leave behind the familiar territory of our slavery to sin.

And there are times, like there were for the Israelites, when that old way of life seems to call out to us with an irresistible siren’s call. Much as we know this new life is right, we still sometimes miss aspects of our old life of slavery.

But as we go deeper into the new territory, we learn more things about God. We come to know, as the Israelites did, just how patient, gracious and giving our God is. We begin to grasp his laws and commands. We see that each day he will give us our daily bread. And sometimes he will grant his blessings in wondrous ways, far beyond our comprehension.

And as for us? We remain sinful, even as we are drawn each day by the Spirit to live more fully in our new identity as children of God. There will be stages of pride and rebellion, of reversal in our faith, then repentance. There will be battles. And there will be wanderings.

But always, always, wherever we wander, whatever battle we are currently fighting, there is our faithful and forgiving God. And there is his word, pointing us back to him.

One of the reasons I love writing this blog is that it gives me the opportunity to record the stages in my own journey.

How about you? Do you take time to reflect and meditate on the stages in your journey of faith in Jesus? Do you take time to step back, and get up on the “balcony” of your life?

Doing so will give you time for repentance, for gratitude, for joy and for enjoying God’s faithful love.

“Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages…” (Numbers 33:1-2, NIV).

Our Bible reading for Thursday, April 2, is Numbers 33:1 – 34:29, Luke 9:10-27 and Proverbs 8:22-31.

Header image based on "hiking the Grand Canyon" by Rick McCharles, CC By 2.0

How to Win Friends and Influence People

I’m not sure Dale Carnegie would endorse John the Baptist’s approach. John’s message was not at all designed to make him a popular man. And yet, somehow he was definitely attracting crowds — large groups of people fascinated with his message.

And this was not exactly the Ritz-Carlton they were following him to. They had to hike out into the wilderness near the Jordan River to hunt John down. They likely had to camp out there. That’s a lot of effort to hear a sermon.

Consider the way he addressed the crowds. To our modern ears it sounds mean-spirited and bordering on abusive language: “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Luke 3:7, NIV).

Then he calls the crowds to change. Not just to a regular, garden-variety, everyday kind of change. Radical change. If they wanted a relationship with God, they must change everything about their lives: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8, NIV).

And then he accuses them of a lack of integrity. “You call yourselves the children of Abraham,” he tells the crowds, “but you bear absolutely no resemblance to Abraham.” It’s as if he’s saying, if you claim to be the children of Abraham, then even rocks can be children of Abraham: “And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Luke 3:8, NIV).

Finally, he implores them to understand how close they are to absolute destruction: “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9, NIV).

Now, is that the way to win friends? Or influence people?

Well, it is when you are being authentic and transparent, the way John the Baptist was. It is when your most important Friend is Jesus. And it is when what you really care most about is what that Friend thinks.

It is when you also care enough about the people you are addressing that you really want to see them in heaven with you one day, and right now you see them going in the entirely wrong direction.

Our Bible reading for Friday, March 20, is Numbers 9:15 – 11:3, Luke 3:1-22 and Psalm 35:19-28.

Lord, help me go in the right direction. Give me your Spirit so that I can be truly repentant of my sins, and produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Help me to live according to my identity as a child of Abraham, and through faith in Christ Jesus, a child of God. Thank you that I live in your grace and mercy every day, and that Jesus has won forgiveness of all my sins.

Header image based on "Wrong Way" by Elaine with Grey Cats, CC By-SA 2.0

Re-think

They say there’s far too little thinking going on in today’s world.

I say there’s far too little re-thinking going on in today’s world.

We form habits and we rarely take the opportunity to step back and really look at those habits to determine if they’re helping or hurting us.

Our culture teaches us a certain way of going about life. We are stunningly incapable of stepping outside of our own culture to see if what it teaches us is truly wise and helpful.

Our parents instruct us in the ways they think are best. But are they really?

And the saddest fact of all? That we don’t know, or possibly even care, what God thinks about our habits, our culture, our parents’ instruction.

When Jesus carried out his ministry, he trained his disciples and readied them to come alongside him, and take his teachings out into the world. He prepared them for battle with spiritual forces. He even gave them authority over evil spirits.

And what were they to teach people? In a word: Re-think.

Re-think your way of life. Re-think your habits. Re-think your culture. Re-think what people in authority have told you is correct. Re-think it by comparing it to what Jesus teaches. Re-think it by comparing it with the word of God.

Re-think. Or, its synonym: Repent.

“They went out and preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12, NIV).

Our Bible reading for Saturday, February 21, is Exodus 29:1 – 30:38, Mark 6:6b – 29 and Proverbs 5:15-23.

Lord Jesus, help me to re-think everything in light of your teachings and your words and promises.

Header image based on "Thinking RFID" by Botter, CC By 2.0

Broadcasting Repentance

Once Jesus settled into a base of operations in Capernaum, he began to do what he came to do: broadcast the news. And the news that he came to broadcast was not the evening news. (Thank goodness. Have you ever noticed how relentlessly bad the evening news can be?)

The news Jesus came to announce was very good news. The news was that he is the Light of the world and Life to those living under the shadow of death (Matthew 4:16).

As the light and life of the world, Jesus had wisdom that needed to be heard. But to be received this wisdom would require a change of mind on the part of people.

By nature, people’s minds are not on a receptive track, as Moses clearly indicates in the book of Genesis: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5, NIV).  

Jesus wants to get people back on track, receptive to God and to God’s loving plans for them. And he knows that getting on track begins with the fear of the Lord: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7, NIV).

So what’s the best characterization of Jesus’ teaching? Matthew tells us what it is: Changed minds. Changed hearts. Changed lives.

Repentance, in other words. Receptiveness. Because when Jesus comes near, his kingdom comes near, too. That’s why wise people tune in when Jesus is broadcasting.

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near'” (Matthew 4:17, NIV). 

Lord, change my mind and heart. Make me receptive to you and your wisdom. Get me back on track by shining the great light of your salvation into every corner of my mind and heart. May listening to you give me a repentant mind and heart. You are my Savior. You are my Lord. You are my light and my life.

Our reading for Sunday, January 4, is Genesis 7:1 – 9:17, Matthew 4:1-22 and Proverbs 1:1-7.

Header image based on "Radio" by Godber, CC by-SA 2.0