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Showing posts with label repent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repent. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2013

Casting Pearls- Are you ready for ...?


Todays world could learn a lot from the history of the Israelite nation. If we look in the Bible in Psalms 78 we see in the title that Asaph is credited with having written this particular psalm. Asaph was one of the heads of the three psalmist choirs that King David started under the leadership of the three descendants of the original three sons of Levi. Asaph was  one of these men. The psalm labeled 78 is a warning to the children of Israel to remember the trials they had been through and how God had helped them come through. Our country and the Christian people in general should remember all that we have been through, and how God has helped us through. Without God, we could have not made it.
Even when the people of Israel turned their backs on God, they were still under God’s protection for a time. It took some time before God finally gave up on the people turning back to Him and removed His hand of protection. This has happened over and over throughout history, and as a wise man one said ‘ if we don’t learn from history, we will be doomed to repeat it’. The psalm talks about several things God has done for Israel in history, from parting the Red Sea to using it to swallow up the pursuing Egyptians, to providing manna and water in the desert for the Israel to eat and drink. God not only saved the people, but fed them as well. God provided for them at every turn. It was due to their God and how He protected His people, that the nations of Canaan were afraid of them. They heard the stories of how God had protected His people and gave them triumph in battle, even under what appeared to be overwhelming odds at first glance. 
The people, still, over the years, forgot the miracles that God had worked on their behalf. This psalm was a reminder to the people to remember the things God had done, as well as a warning that if they did not turn back to God they would lose God’s protection. It would be devastating for Israel to lose God’s protection as they were on the main travel route between several large nations and they would be in  the way for any of them who wanted to attack another.Over and over through the years, Egypt, Samaria, and the other southern nations came through Israel to attack the northern nations of Assyria, Babylon, Syria and others, and vice versa. These nations would attack Israel whenever they passed through. It was not many years that passed by between attacks. About the only time the Israelites were in peace in Israel was when they were controlled by one of these nations. The people of Israel were warned to remember God and His Laws so they would be safe under His protection. Time after time they seemed to forget though. It finally culminated in their being exiled to several different nations throughout the world. 
Our Country could learn many things from the history of the Israelite people. They have a very strong religious personality that kept them remembering their homeland and religion even after their nation was split up amongst many foreign nations. Their national identity is much stronger than the USA’s so if the same thing was to happen to us, I do not think we would have much of a chance of reinstating this country. I believe that we have attempted to move away from the restraining forces that come naturally to those of us who are Christians, and become as evil and corrupt in our ways as Sodom and Gomorra of the Old Testament, so I also believe we only have a short time left before God takes away His hand of protection from this nation. 

Monday, September 9, 2013

Casting Pearls - Repent or repented?

                    As Christians we are called to repent and turn away from sin. The problem comes when we repent after the sin and not before it. The original greek that the Bible was written in uses two words that can be translated as repent, but have a vastly different meaning. First we have the verse; Acts 17:30 where the Bible says for all men to repent, (Metnoeo) in the original Greek, which is a verb, meaning to turn away and keep from continuing in the sins you had previously been engaged. God was understanding that we had trouble turning away from the evil and "winked" at our sin. We are called to repent and change our direction, away from the evil, in the opposite direction. The day is coming, very soon, that the Lord will return to judge the world in righteousness by the one and only Jesus Christ who God has made our attorney (representative) and judge over us in spirit.
                    We have God's assurance, that Jesus will have the right to represent us and judge us as Jesus had conquered death and the grave to be our sacrifice and our Savior from the evil all around us.(verse 31) Though some may mock, and call us foolish for believing that Jesus was raised from the dead for our sakes, we will be victorious over the evil that surrounds us if we hold on to Jesus. The problem comes when we repent because of the sin, and not from the sin. In Corinthians 7:10 the Bible tells us that we must fully repent and not just have "Godly sorrow' which is the other meaning of repent, to mentally feel sorrow because "we were caught in our sin" by God and mentally feel sorrow and repentance.
                    The World wants us to feel sorry if we have done anything wrong, and try not to do it again. (verse 11) Attempting to be a Godly sort and not truly repenting and turning away from our sins to become a "new creature in Christ". the word for repent in verse 10 is, (Metemelome) which is a noun meaning to be "be sorry we got caught", what we need is TRUE repentance. the first repent implies that we have a different view of the evil now that we have arrived at the evil that the sin brought us too. the second repentance, which is what we are called to have, is the implication that we would have a different view of the evil if we were turned away from it.
                   Are we to stand and wallow in the sin, or move steadily away from it ? The choice is really our to make, it is a mental choice we must make. It is truly the difference between eternal death and salvation to eternal life. we must mentally make the choice to turn away and not just feel sorry for our sin. Change your ways, and change your life, by changing your heading.