Repent – October 24, 2019

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ “No, Father Abraham, he said, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.”
Luke 16:29,30

Repent

There is a place in Mexico called the Crystal Cave. It’s an underground cave that has crystals that are up to thirty-six feet long and worth up to twenty-one thousand dollars per pound. This means that this cave is worth more than most countries in the world today. It’s a pretty valuable place. But there’s something you should know about the crystal cave before you decide to walk in. It’s one hundred thirty-six degrees Fahrenheit inside, which means you can die from the heat in as little as fifteen minutes. Once you see the cave, you can’t get too attached to it. You need to turn around and walk away before it’s too late.

In a sense, that cave illustrates what it means to repent. To repent means to turn around and walk away from our sins. Just as it is vital to turn around and walk out of the Crystal Cave before it’s too late, it is vital that we turn and walk away from our sins before it’s too late.

But repentance means more than turning away from our sins. It also means to turn toward our Savior. It means trusting that Jesus has done everything necessary to earn forgiveness for our sins. And it means relying on him for eternal life.

Sadly, the rich man in Jesus’ story failed to repent before his life ended. May the same not be true for us. As we hear and read God’s Word in the Bible, may it help us to see our sins, turn from them, and trust in our Savior so that we might arrive one day in a paradise even more marvelous than a cave full of crystals.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am sorry my heart so often craves earthly treasures that I know I will lose one day. Have mercy on me and help me to treasure the forgiveness you have already given me. Amen.