February 23, 2011

Read Daniel 4: 19-27

When the Lord reveals to us a sin in our lives it can be a difficult time. Not only can it be embarrassing but also it can be a slippery road  getting back to where we should be.

While the bible talks about repentance, few of us know what that entails. The word repent means to change our heart and our attitude towards some area of our lives. Initial repentance is turning our heart towards God and loving Him rather than choosing to rebel against him. Within the Christian life, having repented and believed in Jesus for our salvation, there is a need for continual repentance as the Lord reveals the sins in our lives. To repent means to think about that issue as the Lord does. If I need to repent of stealing then I admit that stealing is sinful, wrong and an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. I start thinking about stealing the way that the Lord does.

Added to this, we need to consider Daniel 4:27.

Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.

The Lord calls us to renounce our sins, not just in words and in thought, but in actions. We are to do what is right and pleasing to God. as part of our repentance.  In Ephesians 4:28 we read a more specific example of this generalisation. The person who has been stealing must work productively with his hands so that he has something to give the needy.   If you need to repent, change your heart and mind towards that issue but then also do something productive. In that area or within that issue, do what is right and pleasing to the Lord. What you are doing is replacing the evil in your life with something good. If you were greedy, replace it with generosity. If you were stealing, replace it with giving. If you were cursing, replace it with blessings. If you were lazy, substitute service to the body of Christ. Get the picture??

The worst thing you can do is leave a vacuum of time or period of inactivity in your life. Assuredly that inactivity will be filled with temptation and evil if we fail to fill it with something good and pleasing to the Lord. We need to commit to something positive, pleasing and good with at least as much energy and devotion as we committed to the sin we are repenting of.

Prayer:

þ Pray that our brothers in the bible colleges in Myanmar will see many people repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that they will remain faithful to the task of proclaiming the gospel of Christ Jesus.

þ Pray that God would bring great conviction upon his people at Christlife to repent of their sins. Pray that we would grow in holiness and strive to be Christ-like in all we do, say and think.