Luke 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Jesus is the Giver of Repentance and Forgiveness. Both are Divine Gifts of God given by Him and received by anyone who places their faith in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. No amount of money can buy Repentance or Forgiveness. Nor can one work hard enough to earn Repentance or Forgiveness. Both are freely given by God to those who choose to believe.
Repentance and Forgiveness are not the same things. Most people understand Forgiveness but Repentance is more complex. The word actually means to turn or return. True Repentance will always result in a radical change in a person’s attitude toward God.
Repentance is a conscious decision to turn from the things of the world and toward the things of God. It is to forsake all forms of sin, turn from the ways of the world, and enter into fellowship with God and His Plan for your life.
Repentance is a Gift but the recipient must choose to open it and walk in it. It is like being given a new pair of shoes when your old shoes are worn out causing blisters and sores on your feet. Life in our old shoes may be comfortable and familiar in many ways but old shoes take us to places God does not want us to go. Our old shoes are full of holes so dirt, rocks, and water can cause our feet to be filthy and sore. Enough time spent in our old shoes will cause us to walk with a limp and eventually cripple us.
However, when we choose to wear our new shoes of Repentance God will wash our feet and prepare them to wear our new shoes. Every day we choose what shoes to wear. When we choose to wear our new shoes of Repentance we will walk straight without a limp. Our feet will stay dry and clean because the dirt of this world cannot enter in.
Jesus was concerned about His Disciples. He knew He would be leaving them and they would no longer be able to follow Him in the natural. They would have to decide for themselves where to go and which road to take. Walking was the primary mode of transportation in those days. They walked everywhere. That’s why Jesus washed their feet. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the Disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:5)
He did not wash their hands because their hands represented their work. He was not concerned with their work, He was concerned with their walk; how they lived their life; where they went. And so it is with each of us when we choose to receive and accept the free Gift of Repentance; our new shoes.
New shoes left in the box will not protect our feet from the dirt or help us walk straight. We must choose to put on our new shoes and walk in them. God has a new pair of shoes for you today. Jesus paid for these shoes with His precious Blood on the Cross. Will you accept this Gift of Repentance? Will you allow the Holy Spirit of God to wash your dirty feet? Will you open the shoe box and put on your new shoes? It’s your choice but before you go another day in your old shoes, remember these Words of Jesus. No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (John 13:5)
God wants to…...….turn the tide………..in your life.
Wearing my new shoes! Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
