November 2nd

Jonah-Jacked

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Jonah 3:10

Do you know how to escape judgment? There's only one way, so you have to get this answer right.

The only way to escape judgment is repentance. Unfortunately, for most of us, repen-

tance is a big theological word that has a vague meaning at best. Let's break it down so that we can all understand this vital action.

Repentance at its most basic level means to change your mind, to alter the way you think. Or, you might want to say it this way-to altar the way you think. You need to put your old way of thinking on the altar and offer it up to God so that He can transform your mind and give you His way of thinking.

We cannot any longer think that sin is okay. We cannot flirt with the things of the world, pursuing relationships outside of marriage, friends with benefits, or giving away the affections of our hearts to someone besides our spouse. We cannot find our identity in Nordstrom's or put our hope for salvation in the government.

Nor can we sit around lazy at home failing to make a contribution to the kingdom in this world. We cannot assume that someone else will reach our friends, neighbors, and coworkers while we remain silent.

These are all part of our old way of thinking that needs to be sacrificed to God for the sake of His purposes in our lives. This is the old life from which we need to repent.

And having repented-having changed our mind about these things, recognizing our responsibility to live as children of God who are building our Father's kingdom-we must take action. Repentance is more than just turning from wrong action; it is embracing right action.

What right actions do you need to take today? Start with pursuing your family to build relationships with them and disciple them into faith in Jesus. Continue with living out your faith for all your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to see, taking every chance you have to call them to faith as well.

Jesus died to save us from judgment. All it takes for us to receive the benefit of His sacrifice is to change our mind about God, and to embrace the salvation He offers.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for dying to take the punishment for my sins! I repent now from my old ways of thinking and ask You to fill me with Your thoughts! Please give me boldness to not just think differently, but to also act differently as I represent you wherever I go.

Amen