Grace is given to us as a free gift. It cannot be earned or merited. But salvation that does not move us out of our self-destructive and rebellious ways is counterfeit. Repentance is a major life change. Repentance is the realization that we have been going the wrong way on a one-way street. Repentance is an acknowledgment that trying to guide our own lives will always end in disappointment, disaster, and death without Jesus being the Lord of our lips and our lives. As we do, we will change our behavior to reflect the character of the Father who sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins! We know that God’s grace is marvelous, but let’s also learn that his will is gracious and life-giving. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” Luke 3:8.
January 21
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good