Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Acts 3:19 NIV
Repentance! It's not a word we talk about a whole lot, but it is fundamental to our faith. We may be tempted to think of repentance as a one-time event, the first step in our salvation. When we repent, we acknowledge our wrongdoing in our confession, commit ourselves to Christ, and pledge to do better. Since we are human and are naturally bent to sin, we constantly need repentance. None of us are exempt from sinning, so all need repentance. Perhaps even more so if we are followers of Christ because Satan works all the harder to trip us up. Jesus knew this; in the Lord's Prayer, He instructs us to ask, "Forgive us our sins."
With repentance comes cleansing. God, in His forgiveness, conducts a scrubbing of our souls, leaving behind a heart that is as spotlessly clean as a sterile operating room, leaving us refreshed. He does this each time we repent, desiring us to be pure. God doesn't do this without permission; however, we must take the initiative; we must ask. Today, will we choose to be cleansed whiter than snow, or instead, will we elect to live with dusty, dingy, musty souls!
Precious Lord, forgiver of all sin, we come seeking repentance. We confess we have sinned and acknowledge you are the only one who can cleanse us. Please sanitize and sanctify us today, and help us not to sin. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
