Repentance
"From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Matthew 4:17
Repentance; what a beautiful word! Repentance carries the hope of a second chance, or perhaps even a third or fourth chance. It gives us an opportunity to turn things around; to change the way we think and then the way we act. It was the message of John the Baptist and it was the message of Jesus. Repentance can be taken the wrong way, and some people even feel degraded when they are confronted with the word. But this should never be the case! Throughout our lives we will continually need to repent as God reveals new truths to us about the way we are living out our lives. Jeremy Taylor, a minister and author from the 17th century, said, "It is the greatest and dearest blessing that ever God gave to men, that they may repent; and therefore to deny or to delay it is to refuse health when brought by the skill of the physician - to refuse liberty offered to us by our gracious Lord." Let us not fear repentance, but treasure it as the gift of God it is.
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