The Joy of a Fully Repentant Life

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Our merciful Lord bears with our wicked world.  He defers His anger as so many, all of us included at some level, turn to idolatry, superstition, heresy, disobedience, profaneness, immorality and general lack of reverence for Almighty God.  Through it all, Our Father in heaven is steadfast in seeking His will that none shall perish.  Having already sacrificed His Son to atone for our sins, He sends His Holy Spirit to set in us a desire to repent of our sins.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins so that we see the desperate need that we have to accept the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ.

Aided by the Holy Spirit to accept the atoning work of Our Savior, we are washed clean of our sins.  We then enter into a new period of repentance as we battle our flesh daily.  God knows that we must still deal with the corrupt nature of our flesh, so He provides the the Holy Spirit to stand beside us.  In our continuous battle against our sin nature, the Holy Spirit will never leave our side.  God's endless patience is evident. 

During this daily battle of sanctification, the Holy Spirit shows us our sins in an entirely different light.  Instead of just seeing our sins as the iniquity that damns us, we begin to see our sins in light of the pain and suffering that they caused and continue to cause Our Lord.  The Holy Spirit helps us take the agony we experience when we realize what we have done and turn it into sorrow and repentance as we consider our past, present and future sin.  The Holy Spirit then guides us into a deeper relationship with Our Savior.  Ultimately, the Holy Spirit strengthens us as we fall and leads us to victory over sin, sanctifying us for our eternal place of glory.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit for the supernatural aid that we need to recognize and fully repent of our sins.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts to reveal those dark spots that we keep hidden even from ourselves.  Let us learn to live in the joy of a fully repentant life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness as expressed through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We ask for Your forgiveness, Father, for our sins that sent Your Son to the Cross on our behalf.  We praise Your Name for the patience that You have with us as we continue to struggle with our sin natures.  We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to aid and guide us as we battle against our flesh.  We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will strengthens us to turn away from the darkness in our lives today so that we may turn toward the marvelous light of Our Savior for all eternity.  We ask all these things in the name of the Chief Cornerstone of our lives, Jesus Christ.