New Year, New Repentence
Monday, January 1
Luke 13:3 (AMPC)
“I tell you, No; but unless you repent (change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally.“
Devotion
Christ desires for us to live lives that are of repentance. He lovingly calls us to bear fruit worthy of repentance.
In Matthew 3:8 Jesus commanded "You must prove your repentance by a changed life.“
Likewise in Luke 3:8, Jesus said "Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance [that is, conduct worthy of a heart changed, a heart abhorring sin].”
To "bear fruit" is to produce actions that fit one's true nature. A tree bears fruit according to its kind. And Someone who has repented of sin proves it by changing how he or she lives. The command to "bear fruits worthy of repentance" means to prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. True repentance results in evidence of a changed heart and a transformed life (Acts 26:20).
We haven’t earned salvation on our own, we received it as a free gift in the first place. God doesn’t expect us either to attempt to live lives of repentance on our own. So graciously God gives us Himself as the Holy Spirit Advocate. The Holy Spirit convicts and compels us to live lives that glorify Christ. The apostle Paul encourages believers to "walk by the Spirit," allowing the Holy Spirit to guide them, empower and work in them to produce "the fruit of the Spirit," which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:16-21). These Spirit created qualities are fruits worthy of repentance.
The truly repentant heart, the one God will in no way despise, is broken and contrite toward Him. Just like David in Psalm 51, our repentance before God is a plea for mercy and a return to God for more joy in Him. Lifelong repentance means turning from broken cisterns to the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13).
So let January mark a fresh beginning of repentance. Repentance is, in itself, a kind of January, a newness through which God renews a right spirit within us and restores our first joy in salvation. Take your sinful habits and broken cisterns to our gracious Father, ask for forgiveness through the blood of Christ, ask for restoration of joy in your salvation, and go forth, telling others of the joyful repentance you’ve found in the Lord Jesus.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I humbly come before You on the first day of this new year, and I give You praise for every good and perfect gift that comes from You. Thank You for Your guidance and wisdom as I enter this year. Father, with regret, I repent of the wrongs I have committed, I confess of each sin, (name them), and I determine today not to keep repeating those wrongs. Please help me to begin this new year off in right standing with You, and to consistently grow stronger in my relationship with You throughout this year. I give You all the glory, in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Apply It Today
On the first day of the Jewish New Year, it is common for each person to examine their hearts because they understand that they are being judged by a mighty, all-powerful God. As we enter this new year, may we, as Christians, do the same.
Here are a few questions to get us started. Is this the direction I want my life to go? Do I really want to be that kind of person? Am I the person I want my children to follow and model their lives after, and if they do, am I leading them to Heaven or hell? Do I really want to live another year bound to this addiction? Take note today of what is cluttering your walk with God and rid your life of the clutter.
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