Jesus Said to Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand
“At hand” doesn’t just mean “close,” it means “close enough to grab.” When you attend a wedding, you don’t get dressed at the event; you prepare at home and anyone who sees you knows exactly where you’re going. If you’re part of the wedding party, you’ll be sure to make a check list of things which should be taken care of before the big day.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) created a system called “Spiritual Accounting” which, was preserved by Rabbi Mendel Lefin (1749-1826). We offer a fun and simple chart so you can share this method of self-transformation with your friends and family. Those of us committed to 30-days of Repentance are going to want to create a similar chart with a little more substance. Create a grid like that on “Ben’s List,” but add any subjects or areas in life which are important to spiritual growth or decline. You can see that on the checklist we’ve created subjects that are plain for all to see. We encourage those truly committed to making repentance to use this and make it personal to you, in this way you can be honest with successes or failures without fear. Each night, a person should take stock in the day’s activities.
It’s important to create a list of things that you need to work on and commit to find out the impact sin has in your life.
2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Choose your path and position yourself for judgement. You are the only one that can make repentance work for you.
True Repentance
True repentance will lead to you gaining more of a desire, and a better understanding of God and His Kingdom here on earth. Repentance starts by making a conscious decision for obedience to God. As you grow in your understanding of exactly what God demands of you, apply what you learn. Repentance is the goal of this fallen world. We must set out to become masters of repentance before death but each at his own pace. While hesitation is not recommended, endurance is a must, so pace yourself and “run the good race,” as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24.
If you have spent any time searching the Word of God, then you should have some knowledge of what God’s will is – to keep His Commandments (Instructions).
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.” (1 John 2:3)
He is our Righteousness and We are His Repentance
Jesus taught that Heaven rejoices over a repentant sinner more than over one who has never sinned. The implications of this are shocking; you are the repented sinner. Christ is the righteous one without sin. That Heaven might properly rejoice over Christ, He has bound himself to repentant sinners.
He is our righteousness but we are His repentance. Although He was without sin, Christ took immersion because He is bound to His people, like a head is bound to a body, “that all righteous might be fulfilled” (Matt. 3:15). It is in this same way that Paul writes,
[God] made him who knew no sin to become identified with sin on our behalf, so that we might become identified with the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. 5:21)
When you join yourself to Christ, He becomes a greater part of your life, and your focus becomes His. In the same way Christ gave himself over to the Father saying, “Not my will but yours be done.”
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