True Repentance

Verse of the day: Luke 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

John the Baptist is preparing the way for the Messiah. In his message to the people he commands them to bring fruits worthy of repentance, as the people go to be baptized. As they encounter John, they ask him the question, "What shall we do then?" His answer to them, is still an applicable answer to us today when we find ourselves in a place of not just having to confess sin, but also repent of it. All to often we say that we have confessed our sin, and that is well and good, but my question to us today is, "Have we repented?" When asked what they should do, John the Baptist tells each group what they should to, regardless of what status they had in society (general public, publicans, soldiers, etc.); Luke 3:10-14. His answer ranged from giving to those who had a need (whether clothes or food), to being just, and fair, in the manner they collected money from the people, or being satisfied with their wages, and not being corrupt. In other words, he was telling them to show, by a change in the way they lived, and treated others, that they had truly repented. There should be evidence of a changed way of thinking, which was made obvious by their actions. You see, it is not enough to say that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Along with our confession (Roman 10:13), their should be evidence that we have truly accepted Him, by showing the fruit of His salvation in our lives. That change will be evident when others see us forsake our old way of living, our old habits, our old way of treating others, and our old way of thinking when it comes to moral issues. This is also true of sins we wrestle with as believers. There should not just be a confession (which means seeing our sin as the Lord sees it), but it also means that we then show the fruit of our repentance, by forsaking the sin. For some this may be a process, and for some it may be instantaneous; however, we, who know the Lord, have the same Holy Spirit indwelling us, and the Word of God. We have Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world, sin, and death; and therefore, we too, in Him, have overcome. For those who may be trying to use Jesus as "fire insurance" alone, today, go before Him, and confess it, repent, and show fruits of that repentance by living a changed life. For those that have been holding on to that "pet" sin, today is the day to let go. Bring it to Jesus, and turn toward a life of righteousness, leaving that "pet" sin behind. We can say that we have confessed until Jesus comes back (or He takes us home), but the evidence of that will be seen in how we choose to live (whether for Him, or for ourselves and our sin). Remember, In Christ, we are free from the grasp of sin. Let us show the world that our Savior really is more powerful than anyone or anything on this earth, and can truly rescue us from a life that leads to condemnation, to life eternal.