Monday 26 Aug 2013

Monday Reading: Acts 3:19-21

Key Verse: Acts 3:19
19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Devotion:
One thing I did not cover yesterday is the absolute necessity for repentance. Sometimes we do get tied up in things and forget about the simple message that God is giving us, so I did not mention it yesterday. Today it is all about repentance, making sure that we remember the importance and sear that thought into our hearts and minds for as long as we live.

Repentance is not something you do once a week in a small booth because your priest says it must be so but is something between you and God, something very personal and full of meaning. It is a solemn time between you and God when you admit to the things that you have done wrong against Him and against others. That time when you can draw closer to Him by doing something that you may think will separate you at first!

God wants us to be honest and open with Him. When we try to hide things we are damaging ourselves as well as breaking our relationship between us and God. We are saying that we would rather live a lie than to be honest with God… well take a few seconds to think about that again… God sees everything and He knows everything so how are you ever going to try to achieve that? That is why God wants us to be honest – so that we will realise that He does see everything and that we want to change our lives to be more akin to what He wants from us.

When we bring our sins to God it is not a show and tell scenario where we are going to be paraded before everyone so that they can all see what we have done wrong, but rather a time when we can reveal our faults to ourselves by opening them up in front of God and Him alone. God knows when we are sorry for what we have done and He knows when we mean it and say sorry. He also knows when we come to Him and say sorry just so that we can get out of trouble without having to change our lives and aim for Him ways instead of our own sins. Be honest. Be open. Be solemn.

Points to Ponder:
Do you say sorry and mean it?

Does your repentance come from your heart?