Christianity 101: Building a Firm FoundationSampel

U-Turns in the Road: The Power of Repentance...

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…
Acts 3:19 NKJV

Have you ever been cruising down a highway when you have a sinking feeling that you are going in the wrong direction?

All of us have experienced this. We felt regret for wasting time and taking longer to reach our destination. We possibly missed opportunities because we decided we knew the best route or missed the correct turn. The quickest way to remedy the situation was to make a U-turn and return to where we first went off track.

Our journey in Jesus has these U-turns, too.

In Him, we not only have the promise of eternal life but His promise to set us on the highway of His life within us, which is beyond what we could ever imagine! (Ephesians 3:20-21) We no longer have to travel life alone and figure out what routes to take with our limited understanding. We now also have the resources of heaven available to us at all times.

Still, we can make foolish choices. Fear might drive us to doubt God’s goodness and the Holy Spirit’s leading. Our strong wills, brokenness, or selfishness can cause us to make wrong turns or bad decisions. How do we get back on His path?

We start by confessing our mistakes and accessing His forgiveness, grace, and mercy as we have previously learned. We have not lost our salvation. His shed blood is more than enough to cover all our sins all our lives. But we must acknowledge where we have strayed and learn from it. We then ask His help to repent.

Let’s look at the original Greek word used here:

Metanoeo Greek–Meaning: From meta a change of place or condition; and noeo to exercise the mind by thinking and comprehending differently. To undergo a moral change of direction because thoughts have experienced change. Though sorrow may be expressed (emotions), it is more tied to the mind (a choice) than mere emotion.

Repentance is not just feeling remorse or regret for missing the mark of God’s holiness (wholeness) and righteousness (rightness). Nor is repentance our trying harder to change our behaviors. When has that ever worked?

True repentance begins with a transformation in our thoughts—when we exchange our way of thinking for God’s way of thinking…about everything, including ourselves.

We’ll learn more about this liberating choice tomorrow.

• What speaks to you most from John 10:10?
• How are you comforted or challenged by Jesus’ words in Luke 5:31-32?
• Meditate upon what Matthew 4:12-17 means for your life.
• What do you think John the Baptist is saying in Matthew 3:8 regarding U-turn repentance?
• Ponder Isaiah 55:8-9. What is your takeaway?