It’s the end of the first week of school around here. Everyone’s tired. Everyone’s grouchy. And I had one of those afternoons with my kids where my patience was thin and I had just had enough. Enough of telling them not to fight, and to pick up toys, and to find their shoes. Enough of smart mouths and deaf ears and ambivalent disobedience. For whatever reason, that day when I heard myself half bark/half plead, “How many times have I told you…?” it was humbling.
It was humbling because it reminded me of my own shortcomings more than it reminded me of my children’s failings. I must seem like the same ornery child to God. There are times I’m just stubborn and choose to ignore Him. There are times I’m too self-absorbed in my own worldly busyness. There are times I’m whiny and repetitive, even in prayer. He sees me as a child – not only because I am His child, but because I often act like a child with my spiritual immaturity.
The difference? I eventually lose my patience and my temper, but God’s mercy and grace are everlasting. As beloved children through Jesus Christ, God’s patience with us is never exhausted. He doesn’t give up. He doesn’t let go.
And we always have the choice to repent. Repentance is like love, in some ways. It’s not simply a word; it’s an action. You can repent without ever saying the word – with a softened heart that’s genuinely trying to seek God’s will, conscious and honest about our earthly limits. Conversely, simply saying the word is useless if there is not underlying heart change. Today’s verses (Jonah 3:7-8) get us into the book of Jonah where straying from God’s will, eventual repentance, and God’s mercy are all shown – both in Jonah’s personal life and in the people of the city of Nineveh.
We will continually battle with our flesh and with our humanity on this side of Heaven. Too often, we try to pretend that we’re above such failings. The great Christian preacher and author Charles Spurgeon listed many of the ways we try to cover our sins – ceremonies, excuses, justifications, secrecy, lies, tears, time, evading responsibility. All of these attempts are, of course, in vain because we cannot hide from God.
Charles Bridges also eloquently described how our sins can be covered. “God and man each conceal sin – God in free unbounded grace, man in shame and hypocrisy.” I want my sin covered (redeemed, healed) by grace, not covered (hidden, plagued) by shame. We can close our eyes like a child and pretend our sins aren’t real. Or, we can admit them and learn from them, allowing God to refine us. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
As Christians, we are a people set apart. We won’t ever be perfect, but God won’t let go. God’s mercy and grace are everlasting, so let’s live with repentant hearts for the watching world to see.
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Friends, we would love your prayers and support! Love God Greatly is going to Germany! We are putting on a one-day women’s conference in Frankfurt, Germany open to ALL women in Europe as well as a two-day training intensive for our LGG European leaders and translators THIS SATURDAY. 
One of our European translators said, “The training, as well as the community, is especially important because the “job” of a translator is very isolated and can be lonely and under attack. Through the training, we can share each other’s stories, see each other face to face and not only screen to screen. The training has to fit the country, meaning: Europe is very different than the US, has different challenges and cultural backgrounds.”
Please share the information below and tell your friends in Europe about our upcoming conference! We would love to meet them on SATURDAY!
Click here to find out more about our upcoming women’s conference!
Sara, I love what you said about repentance just being a word with out a heart change. I have prayed many time for forgiveness of one of my sins, knowing I didn’t plan to give it up. However, I am now in a place where I am really trying to let it go. It’s a stub king block that effects my growth with the Lord. But finally I see that it’s just not as great as I once thought. Finally, I believe I have had a heart change against this sin!
Amen Cindy! That is wonderful that you recognized that. Praise God! This post really spoke to me to about having a heart change against sins that I have held onto. God bless you and thanks for being with us on the blog today.
My name is Alan Finch. I became a Christian 42 years ago.
God’s mercy is far greater that what today’s Church teaches. I was a Christian for 38 years before I Biblically came to an understanding of just how great God’s mercy really is.
The “Mercy Seat” which was among the Children of Israel in the Old Testament was the most important object in the Tabernacle. The “Mercy Seat” was a representation of the Throne of God in Heaven. The Great White Throne in Heaven (i.e. – Throne of Mercy) will be the very Throne that God will be seated on when He executes judgment on ALL those who come before Him at the future Great White Throne Judgment.
The future Great White Throne Judgment which has been misunderstood by today’s Church will be the judgment of God executing His “GREAT MERCY” of RECONCILING to Himself each and every person who comes before the future Great White Throne Judgment. (Note: This is why that the “Seat” of God is named the “Mercy Seat.”
This will be done through the transforming work by FIRE from God’s Spirit for the purpose of a “Divine Spiritual Transformation.” This has only been made possible because of what Christ accomplished on the Cross by the shedding of His Redeeming Blood for ALL. (Note: The Scriptures do not reveal the length of time for this transforming work of God in each individual. Very likely the length of time will vary with each individual)
Colossians 1:20 – “Christ, who predetermined by God, bled peace into the world by His death on the Cross as God’s means of reconciling to Himself the whole creation, ALL things in heaven and ALL things on earth.”
The future Great White Throne Judgment will not be a judgment of people spending eternity being tormented in a physical Lake of Fire which has become the popular present-day traditional teaching of the Church.
I have written a 28 page article which Biblically expounds upon the final destiny of the entire human race which is made up of those without Christ, those who are Believers in Christ who will be found to have been faithful servants of the Lord, and those who are Believers in Christ who will be found not to have been faithful servants of the Lord. If anyone would like a copy of the article, feel free to e-mail me and request a copy, and I will send you a copy.
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