Day 2675 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Acts 17:30 NIV

Yesterday we talked a bit about how we've all taken some time to do things our way. We've all spent some years putting ourselves first and doing what we wanted to do. We've spent some time chasing after a few idols and allowed ourselves to dabble in some sinful choices. We've had the fortunate opportunity of learning the hard way that our way usually isn't everything we want it to be. And when we finally run out of steam, reach the end of ourselves, and realize that our paths led to nothing and nowhere, then we're left with this crushing sense of guilt and hopelessness.

So much time spent running away from the path we should have taken. So many days wasted worshipping worldly goals that could have never brought us any lasting joy or peace. So much life gone and unable to be redone. And the weight of all those mistakes over all those years just sucks! We look back at who we once were before we got that idea in our minds that we could find another path to something we wanted. We remember the joy and simplicity that life had before our arrogance led us another direction. And hopefully, we're finally able to see the ignorance in putting ourselves first and worshipping anything other than God.

I look back at so many things that I've done and I can't believe them. I honestly can't even begin to comprehend the mindset that would have encouraged me to do some of those foolish and just plain stupid things. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to say that because I know that being able to see the mistakes we make in life is a great gift. It helps us see that God is working in us to help us see sin and begin to fight against it. Being able to look back and shake our head at some of the things we've done means that we're not those people anymore, and that right there is a testament to God's mercy and grace and healing in our lives.

I think so many times we get lost in the mistakes and the shame they bring. We look at what we're doing, what we're chasing, what our lives are being lived for and the shame of it all convinces us that we don't deserve any better. And when we become convinced that we don't deserve better, then we start to not want better, and when we stop wanting better then we consign ourselves to not trying for better. We settle into our ignorance because it's what we know and we grow to feel it's what we deserve for so many years spent doing the wrong things and serving the wrong things.

That's the thing about ignorance, we don't know better because our minds have settled for accepting where we are in all of our weakness and inadequacy. Ignorance gives us the ability to ignore that voice quietly calling us to do better. It helps us avoid facing the guilt and shame that comes with admitting we've messed up. It affords us the comfort of staying put and not having to try and strive and push ourselves and maybe even change and admit our mistakes. But as convenient as ignorance may be, it will never be able to lead us to anything other than what we've already found.

That's where the necessity of repentance comes in. As this verse tells us, God has overlooked our ignorance in the past. He's given us those years to run wild and live foolishly. He's given us the freewill to make our own choices, plot our courses, and chase our own cravings. He gives us over to our desire to rebel against Him because He knows that we're stiff-necked and foolhardy. He knows that most of us have to learn the hard way. We have to hit rock bottom. We have to run as fast as possible down the path of our choosing so that we hit that brick wall at the end as hard as possible.

Because it's only then that we can see that our way isn't the right one. It's only when we've done all of our running wild that we can learn that doing so leads to nothing. It's only when we've gotten our selfish foolishness out of our system that we can settle down, humble ourselves, and finally find the room to give God a chance to lead us.

It's in that change of pace, change of priorities, change of lifestyle that repentance is found. You see, repenting isn't just a one-time deal. We don't just wake up one morning and tell God we're sorry for everything dumb we've done and then live the rest of our lives mistake-free. No, it's a daily choice. It's a constant state of mind. It's changing our hearts to notice the mistakes we make every single day so that we can learn to fight to do better and stop settling like we've done so many times in the past.

Friends, as we've been discussing, God is very serious about sin. For years, we've played it off, ignored the warning signs, and kept right on living like we were free to do as we please without consequence. But there comes a time when we have to either continue choosing the path of ignorance or turn onto another path. We can keep running away from God, or we can turn back toward Him. Now, many take His silence to mean that He doesn't care about what we do and that we'll just hash it all out later. But in truth, He's patiently giving us a chance to seek repentance and undergo the radical changes that it brings to our lives.

Friends, the time for acting like we don't know any better is over. We've felt the guilt, we know the shame, we understand the truth of the Gospel, and we're called to repent and accept His gift of salvation. We have no excuses. We have no logical reason to keep doing what we've done when we know that all it brings us is discontent and despair. Please take God up on His offer to turn, to change, to fight for something better.

Yeah, it's gonna be a gut-check that feels seriously humiliating and brings the miserable kind of shame that we've spent a long time trying to avoid. But we're better to face those consequences now while we can do something about them and change our ways and set our hearts to following and serving God, than to put it off until we have no time left to change and can only accept the eternal fate that our sins fully deserve.

We’ve all been foolish and done some really dumb things. And all those mistakes leave us ashamed with nothing but this fear of God’s rejection and punishment when His wrath is unleashed on the sinful. But friends, that’s why we should be thankful for God’s patience with us and take full advantage of this time we have to suck it up and find the humility that leads to salvation through admitting our sins and repenting of them.

It may be far more comfortable to hide our sins and ignore our mistakes and pretend we’ve not done anything wrong. But as Proverbs 28:13 tells us, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” God is merciful, and His willingness to give us the chance to turn back to Him and renounce the sins that have pulled us away from Him proves it. Look, He knows we’ve messed up, and we know we’ve messed up. What are we waiting for? We have to stop trying to hide what everyone already knows and just get to addressing the junk before it leads to more years of running in shame and avoiding the chance we have to find a better life in Christ.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold