REPENTANCE

Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7

Thus it is written,
and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem Luke 24:46-47

but now [God] commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. Act 17:30-31

We are a race that has rejected our Creator and His Christ. We have set ourselves against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.

Where He has said to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, and with all of our strength; and, also, that we should live by every word that proceeds from His mouth we have, instead, turned our back to Him.

As it is written in His word "All we like sheep have gone astray, every one, to his own way" or, as Paul strings together some quotes from the Old Testament: "There is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one".

Yes, we are a race that is "dead in tresspasses and sins"...we "Walk according to the prince of the power of the air...we are, by nature children of wrath."

But our Creator is rich in mercy. In love He speaks to the world through His Son; "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Ah, now THERE is good news! There is the very definition of repentance. As we look to the Savior and come to Him we leave our way-ward life-styles behind. We submit to His placing His yoke upon us and we take up learning of Him. He takes the reigns of our hearts and leads us in the ways He would have us to go.

Now that is salvation and abundant living!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.