Matthew 21:28-31 (NKJV)
“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
I was listening to a message this week and it alighted what repentance is all about through the parable Jesus spoke about in our Bible passage this week.
Here we have the story of two sons whose Father gave some work to do. The first son responded negatively and said He will not go, but later on repented of that decision and went and did what His father had asked him to do.
The second son on the other hand initially responded positively and said to his father he will go and do the work given, but subsequently changed his mind and did not go and do the work given Him by His Father to do.
From this Bible passage we learn:
God is pleased when we repent. What does it mean to repent though you might ask? To repent is to have a change of mind and heart, leading to a change of behaviour and actions, it is changing our mind and heart towards God, and the things of God. This then leads to a change in our lifestyle, behaviour and actions.
God wants us to turn away from sinful activity and wrong choices, but this first has to start with a change of mind set and a change of heart. We must agree with God in our hearts and with our minds that God’s Word is true and His will is perfect and good for us. When this takes place in our hearts and mind, we will then automatically begin to make right choices that glorify God.
To become believers in Christ, we have to repent, confess our sins and put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For many of us who are saved this is what we had to do at that point when we gave our lives to Jesus but it does not stop at that point. We live in a world that daily seeks to conform us into its mold. Sometimes as believers we fall into the trap of the world and the enemy of our soul satan, when we begin to believe the lies of the world around us and that of our adversary. This leads us to fall into sin and go the way of the flesh and the way of the world. At times like this, repentance is required, a change of heart and mind once again, to conform to the mind of Christ and the will of the Father... Our minds need to be renewed in God’s Word, our hearts transformed by His Word, prayer being in His presence, so we can make the right choices that will glorify Him.
Be quick to repent as God daily highlights things to you that need to change. Ask Him to give you the mind of Christ in all areas of your life and He will as you constantly go to Him.
Grace to you my dear sister…