Category: repentance

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Spiritual Blindness

Mark 4 Centuries ago, Isaiah wrote, and Jesus quoted this parable: “they may look but not see, they may hear but not understand,” and Paul explains the reason behind those words. Satan is the enemy of mankind and God and as such he uses the tool of spiritual blindness so that the truth of Isaiah’s words can be literally seen and understood. For a long time people, like me, have struggled to understand what Isaiah was trying to explain and it finally dawned on me when I read 2Cor 4:4 “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Truly Satan has mastered this tool so that many would not come to saving grace. Just like then, we too see and are befuddled by the unbelieving for their lack of spiritual life and Nicodemus is a prime example. He came seeking answers from the teacher come from God and left befuddled. How can this be? How can a man enter the womb, but Jesus was not teaching that, He was teaching that men needed a rebirth; a spiritual rebirth. Why is it that men may not see or understand? It is because if they do, they will recognize, as Nicodemus did, that they need to repent of their sin. John wrote they refuse to repent because they love the darkness.

Do our hearts yearn to open the eyes of the blind? Do we hope to open their eyes to wee that they need to repent of their sin? That should be our prayer.

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Listen Up!

Zechariah 1-7 Return and Be Blessed

The OT prophets have a recurring theme for the Jews: they must return to God and His ways in order for Him to bless them. They remind the Jews that way back in Moses’ time, God clearly told them how He would bless them, and here it is again by the prophet Zechariah. There is a saying: if you don’t learn from the past, you will have to repeat it, or in Bible terms, you will have to do another lap around the wilderness. But, again, as the other prophets have said, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has indeed done what he said he would do to us because of our sinful ways.”

Why are we so clueless to this simple command of God? The key is found in Zechariah chapter 7: “they refused to pay attention.” How like us! It boils down to the pride issue as it was in the beginning in the Garden of Eden.

So what shall we glean as an application for us today? We must be in the scripture, listen to the Holy Spirit, and do as John wrote: if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, willing to forgive and cleanse us. [1Jn 1:9] Have we done that today and every day? 

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Climate Change?

Joel 1-3 Climate Change is the buzzword of the day. We hear about it and are reminded that the cause is humans and their thirst for fossil fuels. Yet, in the years 1930-1939, the USA experienced what has been termed the Dust Bowl. It was because the farmers in the Midwest over-plowed and removed the grasslands that had been there for centuries and, in times of extreme weather, could protect the land. It was 6 long years before the drought abated and the land would rest. Joel saw the devastation of the land not by wind or drought but by the invasion of locusts. History tells us that this lasted over three years. In that time, the seed saved from the previous year was eaten, the harvest of the current year and the seed to be used for the next year. Joel used that picture to show the Israelites the ravages of sin in their lives and how God would use the impending judgment of the Babylonians to get their attention.

What does God have to do to get ‘my’ attention? Does He have to use droughts, locusts, or another natural disaster to cause you and me to fall to our knees to repent? Here in Texas, we have gone over 55 days without a drop of rain and extreme temperatures, but are we seeking His face or just complaining like the people in Malachi did? How often do we behave like petulant children when God is seeking our return to Him? Joel reminded the people to wake up and seek His face for restoration. Sadly, they did not, and our nation seems to be on the same wavelength. Today may we seek the Lord and live! Seek the Lord while He may be found! 

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The Sin of Pride

2 Kings 15, 2 Chron 26 Ever notice that the middle letter in pride is “I”? Pride is the deadliest of all sins and is listed as one of the sins God hates more than any other because it puts self before God. [Prov 6:16-19] It has been the cause of many a downfall. 

God blessed King Uzziah for years, but when he became strong, he also became prideful. In his later years, Uzziah entered the sanctuary to burn forbidden incense and instantly became a leper when confronted and unrepentant. He remained a leper until the day he died and was not buried in the tombs of the kings but in a field of the kings. Truly “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” [Prov 16:18]

Where is God speaking to us about our pride? Watch out for that middle letter “I.” The OT prophet Zephaniah reminds us: “Seek the Lord’s favor, all you humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands! Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble!” [Zephaniah 2:3] Humility is what God seeks and blesses, and pride is what God detests. 

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A Test: Who is the True God?

2 Kings 1-4 King Ahaziah has not yet learned or accepted the true God of Israel. He falls through the lattice roof but sends his messengers to go and inquire how to be healed by the false god Baal Zebub.  God sends Elijah, the true prophet, with a message to Ahaziah. Because you reject Me, you will not recover but die. In anger, Ahaziah seeks Elijah, but the fate of his new messengers is death until the last set of fifty who humble themselves before the prophet. Yet, even with this evidence, Ahaziah still rejects God, His prophet, and His word.

Today, many like Ahaziah hear but reject the truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” [Jn 14:6] He who seeks for me will be found, and I will give him life everlasting.[Pro 8:17; 8:35] Like Ahaziah, they are listening to the “Baal Zebub’s” of this world. They reject God and His Word and will die in their sins and face the everlasting fire of hell.

Do you know the true God, or are you listening to Baal Zebub’s false words? Just as Elijah prophesied, so did Ahaziah die. [2 Kings 1:17] And now he knows which God is real. Don’t wait until death is before you; accept the true God and be saved. 

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Listen Up!

Are you silent before God?

Zephaniah 1-3 The rich and famous dress, talk and move accordingly to the ways of that circle. Zephaniah was in that circle because of his lineage but not of that circle. He could have used that to gain introductions to the movers and shakers, but instead, he listened to God and spoke His message about their sin. However, his message fell flat, and perhaps he even heard; you can’t really believe that. What universe are you from? Don’t you know “The Lord neither rewards nor punishes?” [Zephaniah 1:12] But, Zephaniah’s total message was “be silent before the Sovereign Lord.” [Zephaniah 1:7] hoping that some would stop this life on the merry-go-round and seek God’s way. They found it hard to understand that he was a believer because he didn’t fit with their idea of success.

God used Zephaniah to describe the Day of the Lord, yet their hearts were hard, and they responded to the truth of God with delay, disregard, and dismay. Like some today, they couldn’t believe that “one of their own” could believe in a God who is sovereign. So, they disregarded his words and his warning to repent. They only saw a God of love and failed to realize that God is holy and cannot live with sin. They fail to realize that God is looking for His remnant of believers.

Who are you speaking to today that needs this message, and will you be strong like Zephaniah?

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“How’s that working for you?”

Repent and Believe

Ezekiel 12-14 God had Ezekiel pantomime the end of Jerusalem to the captive elders in Babylon. Instead of watching and learning, the hardhearted exiles asked: “What are you doing?” God chose Ezekiel as an object lesson for them about their king, Jerusalem, and their Temple. The elders didn’t want to hear any of this, so they blocked their eyes, ears, and heart. Instead of listening, they charged him with lying because they only wanted to have their ears tickled. They talked amongst themselves; who should we believe? Did not the prophet Hananiah say this would be over in two years? [Jer 28:3] Ezekiel reminded them that Hananiah lied and died. How are his words working for you now?

How does this relate to us today? God sent Jesus as his object lesson with parables, miracles, and sermonettes with one choice: Jesus is the Way, The Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to God except by Him. [Jn 14:6] Yet, People refuse the life-giving message of salvation with many excuses. God made it clear: we are all sinners; none is righteous, no, not one. [Rom 3:10]

God sent His Son because He doesn’t tickle our ears with false prophecy. There is a judgment coming. Have you chosen Him as Savior, Lord, King, Priest, and Prophet?       

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“What legacy are you leaving?”

What is your legacy?

2Chron 33 If someone would open your life’s diary what would they read? Would it be like the life of King Manasseh who had a godly father in King Hezekiah or would it read that you rebelled and refused God’s ways…until…

The Chronicler records these words: the annals record all of King Manasseh’s sins and unfaithful acts along with the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols. Even though God spoke to him, he refused to listen. So, God disciplined Manasseh with hooks in his nose, bronze chains, and extradition to a foreign land where he languished in a prison cell with cold gruel, day-old bread, and water. It was then that his senses were awakened and he “realized that the Lord is the true God” and repented. [2Chron 33:13] It was because of the mercy of God that he was released and returned to his kingdom. God’s mercy is overflowing!

God has placed this event in His Word to remind us that it begins with a heart that is humbled but also that sin produces consequences not just for us but also for family and children. Manasseh may have repented but the damage was long-lasting. His son Amon followed in his footsteps of an unrepentant lifestyle and his life ended in an assassination.  

Generations come and go and we can learn much from the ancestral record. Hezekiah: godly. Manasseh: ungodly but repentant. Amon: ungodly to the end.

What would your diary say about your life?

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“Good Friday & Beauty out Ashes”

Beauty out of ashes

Luke 23 Dr. Luke records for us the witnesses at the cross. Only by the Spirit of God could one chapter hold so much that it grabs our attention and cause us to fall upon our knees in humble adoration for the Messiah who gave all that we might worship Him alone.

Today, just as then, God desires that we draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience..” [Heb 10:22] 

There were two criminals crucified with Jesus. One recognized and submitted to the Son of God as he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” In that one brief interchange, Dr. Luke transcends earth to heaven so that beauty may come from the ashes of sin, and we learn of the plan of salvation. First, one must revere God; secondly, one must recognize that they are a sinner who needs repentance. Like him, we are justly condemned for our sin. Therefore, we must seek His face and His forgiveness so we can hear his response: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

Note the promise: it happens today, not in the future. We will be with Him! We will be in paradise with Him. 

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Guilt –>Repentance –>Forgiveness

Seek Repentance early

Matt 26 and Mark 14 If you are a believer of the Word of God, you have come face to face with guilt, whether it is presumed or actual. Jesus had a sure-fire way of getting reactions to his statements, and these chapters prove that point. He stated that “I tell you the truth; one of you eating with me will betray me.” Immediately the guilt signals arise in the minds of the disciples. One by one, they asked, Surely not I?” When we hear the words of Jesus, we too often ask, could it be me? It makes us squirm because we know Jesus knows all things. 

When Judas also asks that same question, Jesus responds: “You have said it yourself.” If that were you, how would you have responded? Judas’ response was to continue on the road to betray Jesus, and only after the dastardly deed did he repent. Too little, too late. But was it true repentance? Listen to his words: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” [Matt 27:4] He said that before the religious leaders who cared little for his words. There is no scripture saying he ever repented before the Lord or the Father.

What about us? Why is repentance so very difficult? Why do we not admit our sin and seek forgiveness? One writer noted ten reasons, and the top three included: it confronts us with our sin, we are scared God won’t forgive, and we want law, not grace. If that is you, today do not delay; seek God’s forgiveness as 1John 1:9 says. God is waiting to hear your prayer. 

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