R is for Repent (yes, let's all cringe together)
January 9 - January 13, 2023 | Always Peachy Devotionals | P.R.A.Y. + R. Week 2
How has the first week of 2023 been for you?
I’m thankful to be getting into a more consistent routine. One of these days I’ll give you guys a bit more detail about some of the wild and crazy changes that have been going on in my life, but for now, let’s just say it’s good to have some stability again.
This month we are talking about Prayer (or PRAY+R if you want to use my spelling lol), and all last week we talked about the first letter in the acronym I’m borrowing from Priscilla Shirer’s book Fervent. P is for Praise.
This week? Well, we’re moving on to R. And R isn’t as much fun. Praise is great and easy, honestly, because we’ve got our focus on God, and all we have to do is tell Him how amazing He is. And that’s not difficult. Because He IS amazing.
But R? R is for Repent.
Yes, that churchy, stained-glass sounding word that makes us all cringe inside. I don’t know if it’s this way for you, but when I hear the word REPENT my mind conjures up images of bullhorn-wielding street preachers using their 20-pound Schofield Bibles as sledgehammers, shaming everyone who walks past them.
That’s not the image I want when I think about my relationship with Jesus. So let’s get a few things straight, because the idea of repentance should make us uncomfortable—but not out of shame. Repentance is a gift.
I don’t use Greek translations very often because I don’t speak Greek, but this is too beautiful an opportunity to pass up. Because the word in the original language of Scripture that we translate as “Repent” is actually μετάνοια (metanoia).
Without getting into all the gory linguistic details, metanoia means to change your mind. It’s the idea of reversing your direction. The concept is similar to when you’re walking down a street and realize you’re going the wrong way, you turn around and go the way that will lead you to your desired destination.
Metanoia. Repent. It’s changing your mind about the direction you’re walking. That’s not cringe-worthy or shame-inducing. That’s practical. If you’re going the wrong way, turn around. That’s what repentance is.
And if you want God to hear your prayers, you MUST repent. You can’t have active sin in your life and expect God to listen to you. Why would He? He’s told us clearly how we should live, and if we refuse to listen to Him, why should He listen to us?
Repenting isn’t as easy as Praise, so that’s why we’re focusing on it this second week of January 2023. R is for Repent:
January 9 - Jesus came for those who need to repent
January 10 - Hiding your sin doesn’t help you
January 11 - God promises to forgive you
January 12 - You still have time to repent
January 13 - God is waiting for you to repent
To go along with our study of prayer, we’re memorizing the Lord’s Prayer. So this week we are moving on to the next part, Matthew 6:10.
If you think about this verse, it’s clearly an acknowledgment that people don’t know best. We don’t know the right way to go. We are completely dependent on God to direct us, and we need His will to be done on earth the way it is in heaven if there is to be any peace.
I’m ready for that day, aren’t you? When God’s will is truly done on earth the way it is in heaven?
Please know that I pray for you and for your families. I hope that what God is teaching me and reminding me about what it means to follow Him is a blessing to you.
Let’s see what God has planned for us in the coming week!
Amy
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