We all struggle with pride, it's part of our human selves. We fight for control over everything. This deep stubbornness can penetrate every area if we allow it to. Why am I talking about this? Because, this ONE thing right here, that we all have wrapped up inside our human nature, can single handedly DESTROY everything that God has for us.
Did you know that the entirety of God's message to us in His Word, is how WE must be willing to let Him be the Lord and Master of our lives? We often think and are even taught that the entire gospel message is about us telling other people about Jesus...but it's actually not. Telling other people about Jesus IS a vital part of our lives as a Believer, but the ENTIRE Bible focuses really on one thing only...our PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with God and whether or not we OBEY Him with our lives.
Crazy huh?....Not really. Our Creator loves His Creation deeply and His one desire is that we CHOOSE to love Him back. (Pretty Simple Message) Unfortunately since sin entered the world, simply obeying our Creator is not easy, BUT it most definitely IS possible! His GRACE is sufficient for us to want to live according to His will and to deeply desire to do what pleases Him.
We don't hear too much about repentance anymore. Such a beautiful and powerful thing in the life of a Believer and we don't ever talk about it do we? When was the last time someone you know or someone in your church...or yourself... shared about the sin they were caught up in but Jesus set them free? I mean we hear a lot about trials someone might be going through and maybe how hard life has been and they made it through but...what about repentance? Why?
I believe that it is a total work of the Enemy to get God's Children distracted and to forget about the work of REPENTANCE in our lives. We see the "Church" today making room for sinful behaviors in the lives of Believers. We've bought into the misguided line that God loves us no matter what we do therefore it doesn't matter how we live. This is such a twisting of God's beautiful truth that He DOES love us no matter who we are or what we've done, and because of THAT, He offers all of us a chance of Redemption and to be His Children.
Repentance and Redemption go hand in hand, and both are an amazing picture of God's love for His Creation. Look at how much we are missing out on when don't understand or make these a part of our relationship with our Creator? Both of these acts in a Believers life, keep us not only humble before our God, it will continually remind us of who we are and who He is...He is God and we are not. A healthy fear of God is what keeps us on the right track, understanding that our lives are not our own and it really does matter how we live before our God.
I've come to realize that there is a huge difference between someone pretending to really love their Creator and someone who really wholeheartedly DOES love their Creator. One wants God's stamp of approval on their lives, however, they will continue to live how they choose, banking on God's love for them as an excuse to not have to be holy. (not Biblical by the way!) OR...One who cares more about what pleases God and what breaks His heart over what their flesh prefers to do.
If we truly love our Creator...then we understand. through getting to know Him better and reading His Word to us, that our lives were made to worship and please Him. It's not our will but His will for our lives. Not our desires to be fulfilled but His.
Living for Jesus... is a life of sacrifice on our part. It's death to our fleshly desires. Period. As a Believer and Follower of Jesus... Repentance is a key factor in a heart that remains humble before our God. Redemption is what we get to experience when Jesus picks up our brokenness before Him and makes us clean and whole, completely pleasing to our Creator. Isn't that AMAZING?
I pray that we all have a heart of repentance before our God. I pray that He continues to fill us with His GRACE so that we can continue to walk daily in righteousness, pleasing Him. BUT...IF we should stumble on this journey, I pray our hearts are quick to be broken before our God and quick to make things right again.
Repentance and Redemption... what a beautiful way to be broken.
