Repent

After tragedy struck Job’s life, he moved into the natural and normal period of questioning. Then, as we saw last time, God rescued Job from his downward spiral and refocused his vision. Job was looking at his situation; God said, “Time to look at me.” With his eyes on the person and character of God, Job responds.

Repentance is a word that doesn’t get a lot of positive press these days. We would like to blame it on the times we live in, but honestly, people have had trouble with repentance since Genesis 3. Today, let’s consider why repentance gets such bad press.

A friend called Lori to say she was scared and feeling helpless. She was watching the news, absorbing all that was going on in the world, and was overwhelmed. She saw the craziness and confusion and reached out for encouragement.

Have you ever attempted to hide from God? I have. I think most of us have tried. We look for dark places where we rationalize that God can’t see our actions. We snuggle up in an emotional corner and focus on our feelings. We head for a mental open range where our thoughts can run free. But we can never hide from God! That’s one lesson God taught King David many times.

C. H. Spurgeon pastored in London in the 1800s. His writing is relevant and straight to the point. In a book called An All-round Ministry, Spurgeon exhorts believers to do something that counts for Jesus.

Do you have anything, besides God, set up in your heart?

Jesus always provides another chance. God has not written you off. He has not cast you aside. Your failure is not final. While you must acknowledge and repent of your sin, Jesus waits with open arms to welcome you back, reinstate you, and use you.