Turn or Burn

"I Tell You, No! But Unless You Repent, You Too Will All Perish."

Luke 13:3

No sin is greater than the next...

Interesting isn't it...

Murder isn't a greater sin than say stealing, adultery isn't worse than coveting...

In His eyes, they are all bad.

Breaking the commandments, His laws, could be punishable by death if you don't repent.

I don't pretend to know more than the next person, I know what I read, what I study and I ask a lot of questions from people who have more knowledge and wisdom than I do.

And I ask, so many questions from the people He has placed in my life.

The more I read the Word, the less I seem to sometimes understand, so I seek out someone who is further along in their walk to help me.

There are usually only 4 people I turn too when I have questions, one is my Pastor, 2 are ministers and the other is G...

I get guidance and wisdom because they have all gone before me on this journey...

Just like He did, He overcame all that we face daily.

I feel like a newborn baby at times and other times I feel older than dirt.

I have a desire to learn all that I can about Him and what He wants from me that sometimes it is all consuming.

It is like I just can't get enough, however I do also have a life I need to get in order and children I need to raise so I have to find a balance.

So where does repentance come into play?

It was part of my Bible study last night and I learned that what I thought repentance was and what it really is are 2 very different things.

I always thought repentance was just that, being sorry...

It is more than that...

Repentance is turning away from sin by changing one's actions to obey the teachings of Jesus Christ. The repentance process consists of feeling sincere regret or sorrow for doing wrong, confessing the sin/sins, asking for forgiveness, making restitution for any damage done and promising not to repeat the sin.

Like a U-Turn you make in the road, or a complete 180, that is what repentance is.

You can't just be sorry, you have to completely turn away from whatever it is you are repenting.

You can't break a God-given law, ask for His forgiveness and turn around and commit the same sin over and over again.

Repentance isn't gloomy, it isn't concealing your sins, you have to have a right attitude towards sin.

When you have the right attitude towards sin, than you will have Godly sorrow, you than have the right attitude towards God and return to Him, you will also have the right attitude towards yourself as well as others.

In order to have repentance, you also must have works proving that change.

Again, you can't just say sorry and turn to continue what you know is wrong in His eyes.

All people sin, all people need to repent and turn from sin to righteousness.

Unrighteousness people need to repent as well.

This should be the very first thing they should do...

Not wait or read or pray - Repent first.

Only when people repent will God hear and answer their prayers, if people continue to love their sinful ways and continue practicing them, God will not hear them.

John 9:3 says - "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the Godly man who does His will."

What does that say to you?

Plain and simple, to me it says, if I continue to sin, He isn't going to listen to me or my prayers.

How awfully sad to know our Father isn't listening to some of us because we are choosing "worldly ways" over His ways.

Yes, this means some of us who are saved are in this boat as well.

Just because you are saved, just because you call yourself a Christian, just because you go to Church once a week doesn't exclude you.

We are not above reproach either.

Repentance is a hard thing to do because it is a direct challenge to the willpower of people.

It demands people be humble before God and give up everything that goes against His will.

The more I learn, the more I see that people are generally good, however they still want what they know they shouldn't have.

Basically they want their cake and want to eat it as well.

They want to continue to steal, lie, cheat, murder, slander, harm, etc...

And than throw up a heartless apology on their deathbed in the hopes of getting into Heaven.

We all want to go through life and not have to answer to anyone who gets in the way of what we think is our path to happiness.

That is all good and well, however what are you going to say come Judgement Day?

Will you have turned?

Or will you burn?

MERCYME
From The Moment Of Our First Breath
To The Second We Bid This World Goodbye
And Everything That Is In Between
Was Made To Magnify The One
Who Holds All Things In Place
The Ruler Over Time And Space