Repent and Believe the Good News!

I was visiting Fuzzy in the hospital this past Friday. I say “visiting”, but I’m almost certain that he had no idea I was there. It’s not the first time I’ve been to see him there in this condition – heavily sedated and with a breathing tube down his throat. I got the impression that the doctors don’t feel they can do much for him, but because his brother asked that they try, they are giving it a shot. You see, Fuzzy’s brother is not ready at this time to lose him to death.

Many in our society fear death because they are unsure of what awaits on the other side. It’s a door they have no desire to open for fear that what lies beyond is total nothingness – nonexistence. Some, of course, firmly believe that what awaits them are the fires of hell because they cannot conceive of a God so loving as to be willing to forgive their grievous sins. The fact that they are concerned would lead me to believe that – if they could only accept the completeness and inclusiveness of God’s forgiveness – they would likely turn to him and receive it.

God’s forgiveness is real. Unlike so much else in this world, the forgiveness of God is something we can totally depend on. Nothing we can do has any effect on the complete and all-consuming forgiveness we have in Jesus. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us that “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” That means that your sins, past, present and future, have been paid for through the suffering and death of Jesus.

However, our acceptance of this reality depends on our turning – away from our sin and toward our Savior. There is a word in scripture for this turning, a word that you are probably familiar with. That word is repent. It means to think differently or to reconsider. It represents a 180 degree turn from our way of life apart from God and toward his intended life for us. Therefore, repentance is a choice we must make for ourselves.

Now we can choose to stubbornly make our own decisions and hope for the best, or we can turn our lives over to God and truly experience the best. Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” If we repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, salvation is ours. We will surely slip up and sin on occasion, but sin will no longer be a way of life for us. And, although – once received – our salvation is assured, repentance needs to be ongoing. As God softens our hard hearts and opens our minds, we see more clearly how our life fails to follow his desire for us. So, as we make course corrections, we turn – again and again – from our ways to his ways.

For those who are already on this road it may sometimes seem like you are making no progress and that the journey God has laid out before you is just too hard. When this is your experience, just remember what Revelation 3:19 says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest (sincere), and repent. Trials come to draw us closer to God, not to push us further away. Allow the trials to give you clarity of vision so that you can see more clearly what God desires for you.

As I sat next to Fuzzy’s bedside on Friday, I was sure of two things. First, I knew for sure that – regardless of the mess he made of so much of his life – he trusts in God and in the salvation which is found only in Jesus Christ. Whether or not he survives this current ordeal, he has a home with God. Second, Fuzzy is a long way from perfect, but at least he’s heading in the right direction. You see, God meets us where we are at. He doesn’t put us down for not keeping up with him, but encourages us, like a parent to a toddler, to put one foot in front of the other and trust that, if we fall, he will be right there to pick us up again.

The Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth is a God of second chances. He is waiting and willing to give you yours right now. Turn to him and trust in him. Allow him to pour his love into you and you will be filled to overflowing.

In His service,
Pastor Thom