“FRUITS OF REPENTANCE”

23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

William Gurnall had this to say about the mercy of God, “If God could not be more glorified in our peace and reconciliation, than in our death and damnation, it were a wicked thing to desire it. But God hath cleared this up to us, that He is no loser by acts of mercy. In this lies the greatest revenue of His crown, or else He would not love ‘mercy rather than sacrifice.’ …He delights more in the mercy shown to one than in the blood of all the damned, that are made a sacrifice to His justice.”

Today’s text is a most elegant expression of the possibilities of God’s grace. It is a continuation of the counsel of Eliphaz to Job. Although the entire counsel was based on the false assumption that Job was sinful, considering what befell him, it contained very vital scriptural principles that bear universal relevance. Repentance (penitently asking for forgiveness for sins and turning away from them) and reconciliation with God are entirely in the interest of the sinner. The experience transforms him internally and externally and opens a vista of temporal and spiritual blessings.

Those who reconcile with God to enjoy “the peace of God” from which a lot of other good things will spring. Divine preservation, provision, protection and power accrue to those who turn their lives over to God and align with His word. They are also guaranteed answers to their prayers.

It is possible to have wealth, connections and fame in this world. But all these will give no true satisfaction and fulfilment without a connection with God. Sin must be dealt with to establish this connection through genuine repentance and faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ for salvation.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Anything that separates a person from God shuts him away from true blessings.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Philippians 1-4