Remorse, repentance, and forgiveness during Lent.

 

Many people never experience remorse because they sinned against God. Many never talk about the need to fall on your knees and confess your sin to God because they have remorse for offending the majesty and holiness of God.

 

But if we don't talk about remorse that leads to repentance, we miss the point of the cross. If we don't talk about repentance, we forget the main reason why Jesus came. If we don't talk about repentance, we don't understand the wonder of God accepting us. If we don't talk about repentance, we end up believing that Jesus only came to make us feel good. If we don't talk about repentance, we think what is wrong with us requires only a hug and friendship, instead of a bloody cross.

 

Repentance means that we see our sins as God sees it. To repent means we see our sins as sins – without excuse, without a victim mentality, without making light of them. To repent means we see the depths of our sin.

 

To repent means we recognize the wonders of God's grace, mercy, love, and complete forgiveness. There is a correlation between seeing our sin and God's love. The more we see the depths of our sin, the more we see the heights of God's love and the wonderful blessing of being set free by the Lord’s unconditional forgiveness. We then run the risk of never being restored into a loving relationship with the Lord.

The Season of Lent is a great opportunity to heal our relationship with God through his wondrous forgiveness and love.

 

Mark 1: 15: Jesus said: “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent! – and believe the good news." (Of being forgiven,)

"The time has come." We must make that radical decision: either to continue in our sin and live without God or to repent and experience the joy of salvation  -  now and eternally.