Have you ever forced someone to say sorry? If you have spent the day with kids, you know what I am talking about. It’s frustrating trying to assess remorse levels, guide the apology, and dole out the discipline.
I wonder if Jesus felt frustrated when He began his preaching ministry by announcing, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” Repentance is an interesting way to start things. I was taught that repentance means feeling ashamed, asking God for forgiveness, and then changing your behavior. While I am good at feeling the shame and asking for forgiveness, I am not so good at walking away from the sin. So over the years, I have spent a lot of time repenting for not really repenting. Thankfully Jesus is not a frustrated playground teacher but the Son of God.
Real repentance is changing the direction in which you are looking for happiness.
Adam
Pastor Adam was born and raised in Seattle Washington always sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry. While attending Christian College he met Val, a nice girl from Orlando.