Repentance: Part 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. All this week we’re talking about the topic of repentance, not a maybe popular topic or a feel-good topic, but it’s a necessary topic in life, isn’t it? It’s true that we need to hear the challenge to repent. It’s an old-fashioned word, maybe not a word we use every day. All it means is turning around and going the other way. And the fact is we find ourselves at points in our lives trying to fill a void in our life or something that’s missing with things around us, trying to fill it with either success in our work or in our sports or popularity or maybe achievement of some kind – maybe through being able to buy something we want that we think’s going to make us happy. And sure we feel good when we buy those things, don’t we? but only for a little while.

And then we still need something else, and we go back to the catalog or we’re browsing the web looking for the next thing.

And God says, it offends me that you’re thinking those things will satisfy you because I made you for a relationship with me. I can satisfy you at the deepest points of need in your life. You may think a love relationship will satisfy you or the affirmation of people in your life will satisfy you.

Those things will make you feel good, but there will still be that basic deep missing thing in your life unless God is at the center of your life. So when you hear this word repent. It’s God telling you – you need to stop trusting in those things that never have satisfied you and never will, and turn to me to put your faith in me.

Look to me to meet your deepest inner needs.

And you know there’s a consequence if we don’t turn to God.

Because all of our lives we’re offending God in so many ways, none of us is able to live in a way that meets God’s standards, and so we face God’s judgment, right? And if we don’t ever repent, if we don’t ever make our relationship with God good, if we don’t make things right with God, then we face His judgment. Here’s what God says in Psalm chapter 10. Starting in verse 11, it says:

God is a righteous judge.

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Well, that’s what you want when you go before a judge, isn’t it? Not a corrupt judge, not someone who’s going to take a bribe to look the other way, but a righteous judge. God is a righteous judge and a God who has indignation every day. He gets upset about sin in our lives.

If a man does not repent, God will sharpen his sword. He has bent his bow and made it ready.

As so often many of us just feel guilty, and we don’t want to go to God because we think God doesn’t want to hear from me. He doesn’t want to see me, and so we just shy away from God, and this idea of a God that is judging and is ready to judge people, is very negative because we already feel so guilty.

Yes, then we need to hear about God’s grace and forgiveness, but there are many of us also who don’t feel guilty at all.

And feel like it doesn’t matter what I think about God. It doesn’t matter how I respond to God. And for those of us who are in that situation, we need to hear this. God is a righteous judge. He won’t overlook sin in people’s lives. And if we don’t repent. He’s sharpening his sword, and you do not want to face the righteous judgment of God.

But here’s the thing. Think about this. Why does God call us to repent?

He doesn’t want to sharpen his sword. He doesn’t want to bend his bow and make it ready.

He doesn’t want us to face his judgment in the end. He wants us to experience His grace, His love, His forgiveness.

Jesus died on the cross to take God’s judgment that you deserve. God loves you so much. That’s why He calls you to repent.

That’s why it says if you won’t repent, God will sharpen his sword, but what God wants in your life is His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness, His love, His gentle compassion. God is reaching out to you. That’s why He’s inviting you to repent and turn to Him.

I’m John North.

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