King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: What is Repentance?
Date: Friday August 12, 2011
Chapters: Jeremiah 3-4, Proverb 12, Psalm 63
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-12
Details of Today's Chapters: God's exhortations for Israel to repent, Judah more guilty than Israel, but pardon is promised, Israel's sorrow and repentance, God's judgment not to be repented of, and the approaching ruin of Judah.

Hello My Friend/Guest,

“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” - Matthew 9:9-13.

The word repent means to feel deep regret or sorrow for one's own actions or thoughts, and to change their mind as a result of it. To repent does not necessarily have anything to do with sin, you can be angry about something and not sin, but then have a change of heart after you thought about it for a while. We often read in the Old Testament of God repenting, changing His mind after being angry at the Israelites. Now, a sinner who repents would feel deep regret or sorrow for their sinful actions or thoughts and after thinking about it seek or return to God, in other words, it's a conversion from sin to God.

Israel and further more Judah, the ones who stayed faithful to God the most, were about to face God's judgment, they had warning after warning to repent, to forsake their sinful behavior and return to God before judgment day came. Yet they refused and continued living their sinful lives. Through Jeremiah God illustrates backsliding as an adulterous woman, He gives one more plea to repent.

“The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.” - Jeremiah 3:6-11.

Amazingly you find more people who grew up in the church rebelling and living a more sinful life then those who just knew God as God. Whether you are saved or not, if you live in sin, you face the consequences of it, and while God does chasten His people He eagerly awaits the day they repent, change their minds, and walk away from the sin and back to Him. However, He wants Your whole heart, you can not live in the world and live for God, it's way to messy. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” - Matthew 6:24.

Do not mistake the judgments of God for losing one's salvation, you can not lose your salvation, even if you have been a backslider for decades you are still a child of God. Think about it, you were born into this world, having one father and one mother, even if you walk away from them or never knew them, you are still their child. If you asked Jesus to save you, you are born again, a child of God, even if you have forgotten, God hasn't. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” - I Peter 1:22,23.

I truly believe had Israel repented, and I mean the nations leaders as a whole, God would have spared the nation from His judgment, our leaders are always the ones who set the course of our rise or fall. Through Jeremiah, God continues to plea for them to return to Him, and explains why He will not repent of His judgment upon the nation.

“If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings...For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge...For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.” - Jeremiah 4:1-4,22,,27,28.

While God did not repent of the judgment He placed on Judah He did say He would not destroy it completely. God will place judgment upon every nation who does not repent, and in case you have not noticed, all of the world is facing judgment, from the economy to never ending disasters. Just like He said He would not repent from making Jerusalem desolate He will not repent from making the rest of the world desolate, but He will not make His People desolate, which just means deserted of God. While they may have to endure some suffering they will see an end to it as they patiently wait for the Savior. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier...Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” - II Timothy 2:3,4,10-12.

Quite often many Christian's living in sin have no idea they are living in sin because they do not know that it is sin. I do not know how many times people say in response to asking them if they know they are a sinner say, “I try to do good, I haven't done this and this..” Admitting that you are a sinner has nothing to do with what you are doing at present. If you did anything wrong in your entire life, and we all have, then that constitutes a being a sinner. A sinner is merely one who has not received the pardon of their sins, past or present and by the way, no amount of good can even get your sins pardoned. The only way to be pardoned of your sins is through Jesus Christ. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:22,23.

Today's Prayer:
God,
Thank You for showing me that repentance really has nothing to do with sin, but a changing of my heart. At times I know I let the cares of life alter my thinking, I begin to doubt Your presence and even that things will ever change. God, renew my thinking, give me a new way of seeing the blessings that You have waiting for me as I endure my troubles. Help me to never forget that You are always with me and will help me get through this. I love You Lord and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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