REPENT!
And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. —Luke 13:3
People everywhere are commanded by God to repent (Acts 17:30). That is, they are to have a change of mind toward sin and accept the will of God. Those who love the power positions they are in need to repent and trust the Lord God Almighty. Those who have all this world has to offer need to repent and trust the Lord God Almighty. Those who are drug addicts and alcoholics need to repent and trust the Lord God Almighty. Why? It is because God has our best interests in mind… always. But we go our own way and disobey Him. We think we know better than He does. We are the gods of our own making, the center of the universe and we think nobody has our best interests in mind except we ourselves.
One of the most familiar verses in the Bible, John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This word perish comes from the same root word as the word perish in Luke 13:3 above. The idea is the loss of true or eternal life and to be delivered up to eternal misery.
At the New Hampshire State Prison I have had the opportunity to talk to many men and hear their stories. Some of these men will never step outside the concrete walls, brick, bars and wire into society again. Their lives have been ruined and they have ruined the lives of others. There is no denying that. But whether a person is in a physical prison for life or a spiritual prison for life— both lives are ruined in God’s sight.
On the other hand, those in a physical prison, but have truly trusted the Lord Jesus Christ, they are freer than those on the outside moving freely around this planet, but have not trusted Jesus. The satanic labor prison that these people are in is mentioned in 2nd Timothy 2:25-26—- “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
God is commanding us not to go our own way, but to follow His way. He truly knows what is best for us. Will you trust Him or will you be the god of your own life? Will you trust Him for eternal life or will you trust yourself that will lead to perishing? May you trust Him!
Dear Father, thank You that I can trust You fully. I am grateful for Who You are and for all that You have done, are doing and will do for me in the authority of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am grateful.