Refusing to Repent
I can remember that there were a few things that were very important to my father. He wanted to make sure that I learned to work hard. He had started working at 12 years old to pay his way in his family, and he wanted me to do the same, so I started cutting yards for people then. He really wanted me to know the value of money, so I would use it wisely. He did this for me by not spoiling me with a lot of stuff. Of course, he drove me to make good grades by rewarding me when I made A's. Our Heavenly Father has things that are very important to Him, too.
God wants us to learn obedience to Him and His Word. He does this out of love, knowing that if we obey Him, we will find joy and peace in life. Therefore, He corrects us when we sin and calls us to repent. (Jeremiah 5:3) "Lord, You are searching for honesty. You struck Your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent." I pray that we will hear this and not make the same mistake.
God wants us to be honest with Him and with ourselves. We can deceive ourselves into believing that we are being obedient when we are not. We can compromise on things, and justify our sins. When we do that, God comes and strikes us to get our attention and discipline us, so we will repent and really, honestly obey Him. If we don't listen, He has to turn up the heat on us more and more. However, some of us are determined not to repent. That is one of the worst things we can do.
To repent is to change our mind and to change our actions. It is giving in to God's way, instead of doing things our way. We might think we have a reason to disobey God, but God is always right, and we are always wrong. Believe me, God will not give up discipling us until we repent or He has to take us home. God knows that an unfaithful, disobedient Christian is a terrible witness to those who don't know Christ. He will take us out of this world, if necessary, rather than see us lead others away from Him. Therefore, let's just joyfully repent and listen to Him every time.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 6-8.