"Jesus concluded: 'In the same
way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.'" (Luke 15:10)
Every day, I do something wrong. I
say the wrong thing or forget to do the right thing. I break a promise
that I made or neglect an obligation I meant to fulfill. I break one of
God's commandments or I deliberately go against Christ's Word. In short,
I am a habitual sinner who needs to repent every single day.
When
I'm made aware of my mistakes, I get defensive at first. I don't want to
claim the sin as my own or take the blame for what is wrong. I'm just
like a quarterback that I watched recently on television who threw a
terrible ball which his receiver could not catch. As he ran off the
field, he looked to his coach and I lip-read his words: "It wasn't me," he said. He didn't want to take ownership of his mistake and,
unfortunately, his attitude permeated across the entire team. Needless
to say, they lost the game.
After initially being defensive, I
later realize that I've made a mistake and seek forgiveness for what
I've done wrong. This process is called repentance in the Bible and it
involves letting go of my pride by humbly asking for God's pardon. So
long as I recognize that my sinful behavior, misdeed, or mistake is
wrong, I can repent. If ever I believe that my sinful behavior is
acceptable, then even God cannot help me and His grace can never be
applied to my life.
That's why there is a lot of rejoicing in
Heaven when a sinner truly repents and returns to God. The free will
choice to do as we please can either be a blessing or a curse. When we
choose to repent, we are restored to God and Heaven rejoices; that's
also when the beauty of God's grace can positively change our lives
forever.
Questions for personal reflection
When have I
ever truly repented before God? Is there something that I am still
reluctant to confess to Him?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we were created
to worship God and enjoy Him forever. Sometimes we worship our
lifestyles and idolize our choices. Keep us from harming our souls and
prevent us from following spiritual paths that lead to dead ends. Help
us to see the need to repent and release us from our unconfessed sins.
In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
Heavenly Rejoicing
Today's Bible Verse:
"Jesus concluded: 'In the same way, I tell you, there is
rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who
repents.'" (Luke 15:10)
Heavenly Rejoicing
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