“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 NIV)
“Just at that time some people came who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate [the governor] had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish. Or do you assume that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse sinners than all the others who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 AMP)
“Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives],” (Acts 17:30 AMP)
As I was walking on the Path of the Goodness of God I was being pulled toward the Gate of Repentance. It seemed that no matter what else I tried to focus on, my heart and mind were drawn to the gate. I was flooded with thoughts of all of the good that God has brought into my life. Honestly it made it hard to focus on my own thoughts as my mind kept thinking about God. What was it like for you as you walked the Path of Godly Sorrow?
To be honest it was a very difficult walk. I felt so burdened and didn’t really want to continue. I just wanted to lay down, cover my head, and pretend that everything would be OK. All I could think about was just how far I was from where I knew God wanted me to be. The strangest thing is that even though I wanted to step off the path something kept pushing me toward the gate. I felt this inner compulsion to keep moving forward somehow knowing that when I got there things would begin to change.
So it seems that while each path took a different approach, both pushed and pulled us to the gate. Once there things definitely began to change. While one path forced recognition of the neediness within, the other exposed the One who holds the solutions to all of life’s problems. In their own way they brought us to the place of realizing just how different God’s thinking, and God’s ways, are from ours.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9 NKJV)
Standing in the gate I began to sense that something needed to change. If I was going to be able to keep moving forward I was going to have to change the way that I was thinking. I knew that only to the degree that I began to think God’s thoughts would I be able to live the way that He designed me to live. It became obvious to me that whether it was through the Godly sorrow that comes from realizing just how far I fall short of God’s design for me, or through the deep awe that comes from becoming aware of God’s infinite goodness, I needed to change. Perhaps that is what repentance is all about.
I think this is a good place to stop and think about……Eric’s Life Lesson # 468: Pathway to Restoration – Part 8