Eager to Repent!

“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

re•pent \ ri-ˈpent \ verb
Greek: metanoeō = to change one’s life, based on complete change of attitude and thought concerning sin and righteousness.

What’s your favorite type of dessert? I think mine has to be either strawberry cheesecake or peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream! Imagine you are munchin’ down on that dessert of yours, and someone walks in and tells you to stop eating it. Naturally, you would give them a nasty look, threaten their life if they touch you, and demand that they leave your presence. But before you viciously lash out like a rabid squirrel, the violator points out that he saw someone sticking dog poo in your dish when you weren’t looking! Everything changes.

After vomiting profusely, you no longer sneer at the man, but in fact, you give him a hug and thank him for stopping you--a significant change in attitude and actions toward the dessert and the messenger. What was once sweet and delectable is now vile and detestable. A man who was a cosmic kill-joy is now an epic hero. That is repentance...not a “have to”--but a “want to.”

The sin in your life may seem fun, harmless (at least not hurting anybody else), and not that big of a deal. But truth is truth, and your sin is horrid, wrong, and revolting. It’s disgusting, and in truth, it not only affects you--it affects the people and world around you. When Jesus (through Peter in the case of Acts 3:19) calls us to repent, it means STOP!!! Don’t take another bite--go cold turkey--no more! Not because God isn’t fun and wants to ruin your life...quite the opposite, really.

When someone hears the Good News about Jesus for the first time--a radical life transformation often happens--true repentance. It’s the long-time church members (like many of you reading this blog) that can often fall into the trap that sin isn’t a big deal as long as it’s not one of the “big sins.” So in essence, you’re saying, “as long as it’s not a big turd in my cheesecake, it’s tolerable.” WHAT!? We must radically eliminate sin from our lives...and be EAGER to do so! Only then can we begin to taste the pure sweetness of what God has to offer.

Take a minute to ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart about sin you may have been tolerating, and let's get eager to repent so we can get the real "refreshment"!