Repentance

How do you deliver on your promise to follow Jesus?

Every person who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior pledged to follow Him for the rest of life. But many of us soon realize that Jesus doesn’t always take the smooth path to get to His next stop. Sometimes His journey takes Him through winding roads, hills, and valleys, peaks, and mountains. Other times He travels through thorns and thistle.

Thus, following Jesus comes with challenges, but you do not have to be a victim of your circumstances. Jesus never allowed His circumstances to get the better of Him. He carried out His father’s Will despite facing many challenges. And the beauty of it is, Jesus never faltered, or wavered. He kept His promise to the father until the end.

Likewise, you and I can keep our promise to follow Jesus. But first, we have to stay focus on the path His footsteps lead us. We cannot allow ourselves to get trapped with the sideshows. For as you know quite well, Jesus has encountered more that enough sideshows in His time. But He never allowed any of them to distract Him.

For example, in John 8:3-7 He gave us a perfect demonstration of how not get distracted by sideshows. “Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, we found this woman committing adultery. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such offense is punishable by stoning. But what do You say?” They were hoping He would err, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

So, they continue to press Him. Then He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” That was all it took to silence those who seek to distract Jesus.

Some of us may not be able to do all the great works Jesus did, but we sure can replicate His examples for our benefits.

The passion of Christ

Thankful Saturday: Isaiah 53:4-7

Surely Christ has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Still, we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
and He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes, we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
They oppressed, and afflicted Him,
but He opened not His mouth;
They led Him like a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
He opened not His mouth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvRL48W0Dc4

How often should I repent?

How often should I repent? Daily

Repentance is one of the most misunderstood processes in Christendom. Many Christians think it’s a one-time act or process. And once you have given your heart to the Lord, there is no reason to go through the process again, unless you have backslid. I disagree.

What is repentance?

According to the dictionary,  repentance is a feeling of deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, or wrongdoing.

So, based on its definition, repentance is clearly not necessary if one has not sinned. But that is entirely impossible. For none of us can survive a day without sinning. There are undoubtedly many more opportunities for us to sin in one day than we imagined. And even though we have the option to choose good over evil, we often chose evil because of our sin nature. The Psalmist David said: “Behold, I have been shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me”, (Psalm 51:).

Therefore, repentance is a ritual; that we should do daily. Here is how David, a man after God’s own heart pleads for God’s forgiveness after he repented: Psalm 51 King James Version (KJV)

Do you lack humility?

As Christians, we never talked about humility. Perhaps, because it’s not cool, or maybe because the world sees humility as a sign of weakness. Everybody wants the next person to see him or her as having a strong or exaggerated sense of power. Anything less is unacceptable to the world.

But Christians cannot live their lives according to the world’s standard. Of course, we are not going to ignore its laws, but our morals and principles should be God-centered. Frankly, Jesus demands Humility from His followers. It is an essential characteristic of the authentic Christian.jesusfeeds5000story[1]

So, one day, while hanging out with friends, Jesus’ disciples came to Him, and asked: ““Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, (Matthew 18:1-4).

No one can enter the kingdom of heaven without having and displaying humility here on earth. So, if you lack humility, start practicing. There is no place for the proud in heaven. James 4:6 says: “The Lord opposes the proud and gives mercy to the humble.”

Happy New Year

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If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land, (2 Chronicles 7:14).