Lenten reflections on scripture Day 3 : In keeping with this week’s theme of “repent and believe the Gospel”, today’s scripture is II Chronicles 7:14
" if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
" if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
It is a verse about revival, and preceding any revival is repentance, both as individuals and as a body of believers. One is never too far gone to receive forgiveness, for any sin, no matter how great, as long as one has breath in one’s body. What is repentance? It is feeling genuine remorse for one’s sin, for what it has done to yourself, to others, and mostly how it grieves God.
Think about Jesus at Gethsemane, and how he perspired blood in his anguish, grief and even anger. Here was a perfectly sinless man, the only such person who has ever lived, about to die for the sins of the world. No doubt he as shown every single sin of the world past, present and future. Your sin. MY sin (which is worse than yours 😊) and every other sin from the 60 million plus babies killed in abortion, the Holocaust, The Killing fields of Cambodia, the Rwandan Civil War, everything.... And no doubt Satan found this to be the more opportune time to return and taunt and tempt him to give up his mission.
Imagine Satan whispering “Do you really want to die for THAT person? For the Nazis? For Stalin, For Pol Pot?”
Imagine how He was grieved, He who made us. How we have disappointed Him in our disobedience! How our words and actions have hurt others... and ourselves...
yet He chose to pay the cost for all these sins at the price of severe torture such as we cannot imagine, and death by crucifixion, which was considered the most shameful and painful forms of execution. Imagine the pin caused by the fact that he knew that many would choose not to accept His redemptive sacrifice, freely given.
So take this opportunity today to reflect on your own sin, and the sins of the world, let remorse overtake you, and resolve to change, with the help of the Holy Spirit who will come and indwell you when you accept Jesus as lord and Saviour. You will not be perfect, but you will be His, and He will work with you until he is finished! And through Him you will bear fruit which will change the world and draw many more to Him, so that as few souls as possible will be lost as His desire is that none shall perish.
Think about Jesus at Gethsemane, and how he perspired blood in his anguish, grief and even anger. Here was a perfectly sinless man, the only such person who has ever lived, about to die for the sins of the world. No doubt he as shown every single sin of the world past, present and future. Your sin. MY sin (which is worse than yours 😊) and every other sin from the 60 million plus babies killed in abortion, the Holocaust, The Killing fields of Cambodia, the Rwandan Civil War, everything.... And no doubt Satan found this to be the more opportune time to return and taunt and tempt him to give up his mission.
Imagine Satan whispering “Do you really want to die for THAT person? For the Nazis? For Stalin, For Pol Pot?”
Imagine how He was grieved, He who made us. How we have disappointed Him in our disobedience! How our words and actions have hurt others... and ourselves...
yet He chose to pay the cost for all these sins at the price of severe torture such as we cannot imagine, and death by crucifixion, which was considered the most shameful and painful forms of execution. Imagine the pin caused by the fact that he knew that many would choose not to accept His redemptive sacrifice, freely given.
So take this opportunity today to reflect on your own sin, and the sins of the world, let remorse overtake you, and resolve to change, with the help of the Holy Spirit who will come and indwell you when you accept Jesus as lord and Saviour. You will not be perfect, but you will be His, and He will work with you until he is finished! And through Him you will bear fruit which will change the world and draw many more to Him, so that as few souls as possible will be lost as His desire is that none shall perish.
No comments:
Post a Comment