Repentance

Repentance is sorrow for one's sin,
and turning away from that sin to
serve God and do right. Repentance
involves: Admitting before God that
you did something wrong, feeling
sorrow for that wrongdoing and for
any harm it caused, and most impor-
tantly, changing your behavior from
sin, you turn back toward God.

one example of repentance was demon-
strated by the slave Onesimus who
stole from his master, Philemon, and
ran away. Later he became a Christian,
repented of his sin, and returned to
Philemon to confess and ask forgive-
ness.

Another exmple of repentance is anytime
you feel genuine sorrow and ask God to
forgive you for the things you've done
wrong. What kind of example of repentance
have you been lately? Are there things
you have done wrong recently and haven't
yet repented for? If so, take a few
minutes right now to ask God's forgive-
ness. And if your sins include offenses
against other people, make sure you re-
pent to those people as well.

The Good Samaritan

In Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan,
he contrasts the selfishness of the
religious leaders, who walked on by,
with the gentleness and compassion of
the despised Samaritan. Acts 10:25

Compassion is a combination of love,
and care, and the desire to help.
Sometimes the word pity is use for
compassion. But true compassion goes
beyond pity and is a willingness to
get involved in the problems of suffer-
ing people.

Jesus gave a wonderful example of com-
passion in his parable of the Good
Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). A man that
had been beaten was ignored by a priest
and a levite, who were both "religious"
people who should have helped him. But
later a Samaritan, someone who should
have been an enemy, saw the man was
in trouble and had compassion on him.
The Samaritan bound the man's wounds,
paid for a hotel room where he could
recuperate, and promised to check back
in on him.

After telling this story, Jesus said
that we were to "go, and do likewise."
In what ways can you apply the principle
that Jesus taught? Are you compassionate,
or only when it is convenient for you?
who are some people you know who could
use some compassion.

Jesus Is Real

If Jesus is real, why do we live as if He did
not exist? If there is a Father in heaven, why
do we behave as if we were orphans? If there is
a Savior, why do we cringe in fear and misery?
If there is a Healer, why do we not ask Him for
healing? If Christ is offering life in all its
fullness, why do we scratch around in the dust
like chickens? "Jesus says "do not be afraid;
only believe." Mark 5:36