“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” Acts 3:19-20
Heavenly Father, what a revolutionary notion: Through our repentance, you bring “times of refreshing,” not moments of groveling and seasons of shame. Repentance isn’t us making promises to you, but you making this grand declaration to us. “Jesus is enough!”
Thank you for hiding our lives in Christ and declaring Jesus to be our “righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). Truly, Gospel-repentance is a perpetual crying “Uncle!” that we might cry “Abba!” all the louder. It’s coming to the end of ourselves, that we might come alive to more of you.
It’s owning and grieving the ways we love poorly, humbling ourselves before those we’ve hurt, and seeking to understand their pain and our failure. Sin always sabotages love and intimacy.
So, we enter this Wednesday, turning from our bankruptcy to your riches. Precisely because there is “now therefore no condemnation” hanging over us (Rom. 8:1), there is now therefore plenty of conviction.
The more we see of Jesus, the more we realize we’re not as loving as you intend, for the only thing that counts is “faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6). We collapse upon Jesus, and surrender to your Spirit. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ glorious and all-sufficient name.
