There is no miracle in all of creation as great as returning to God through prayer & repentance.
Repentance starts with honesty and continues as a lifelong process of self-refinement. We cannot fix a problem if we do not first recognize it.
The bible tells us that Adam was placed as a “gardener in the east of Eden.” A gardener tills soil and plants seed, he cuts away what is dead or diseased and cultivates what is living. Adam was also created to “work the ground,” and the word “work,” as it appears in this verse can also imply “worship” or “service” in the sense of a priest who serves the Lord through some action in this world. The health of the garden is dependent upon the spiritual quality and internal condition of the “gardener.”
Jesus said,
Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown—some of the seed sown will produce thirty, some 60, some 100 times what was sown.” (Mark 4:20)
Jesus compares one who hears the word of God and then internalized it, to the earth taking a seed and producing fruit. While earthly seed brings life into this world, the higher “seed” of the word brings forth life in the world to come.
Ancient plant seeds discovered dry and lifeless for thousands of years, have been successfully cultivated in recent years. A seed, however, will not produce life until it begins to decompose. Moisture causes the dry seed to breakdown, and at the very moment when life seems impossible, it begins anew.
Jesus taught,
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)
Repentance is about resurrection, but this will not come without work and tears.
The Psalmist said,
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they pass through the valley of weeping it will become a place of springs; the autumn rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength, each one appears before God in Zion. (Ps. 84:5-7)
In this Psalm, the tears of a spiritual person searching for the Kingdom of God are compared to rain. Did you know, rain is the needed element for the decomposing and the breakdown of the hard shell of a seed? Psalms 84 is speaking of a person who truly dies to themselves with tears of repentance. If a person does this, then Christ can take root in their heart. Paul said, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ in me” (Gal. 2:20).
The “Day of Trumpets” is a sacred day, and is proscribed by scripture, which takes place on the first day of the seventh month. To the Jews, it’s kept as the anniversary of human creation. This day is called “Rosh Hashanah” meaning “head of the year.” It is preceded by 30-days of repentance and introspection.
The power of rebirth and recreation (the resurrection), can be accessed through repentance. On Rosh Hashanah, and each of the preceding 30 days, a shofar or ram’s horn is sounded in synagogues throughout the world reminding us to repent. Paul makes a connection between this practice and the resurrection of the dead when he wrote,
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (1 Cor. 15:52)
Through “30-days of Repentance” we hope you will allow yourself to be truly broken and humbled before God in a way which will prepare a space for Christ to be cultivated within your heart. This is a resurrection of the dead and a promise of what is to come.
On this day four of repentance, allow yourself to be broken.
Reflect on the past year:
- Did I gossip, intentionally lie, devise wicked imaginations?
- Was I arrogant and proud, not forgiving someone from my past, sow discord among my brothers or sisters?
- Did I visit the sick, feed the hungry, go out of my way to help others?
- Are there things that God has required of me which I have ignored?
If you are sinning in an area, make a decision to stop, don’t over think it.
Stop the Sin
If I am habitually sinning, I need to analyze why am I sinning, and make a plan to stop. In Genesis 4:7, God told man to rule over sin. We just need to make the decision to repent, separate from unwanted desires and commit to working through the process of repentance.
While on this journey, it is important to learn about the instructions of God. The word “Torah” means instructions and is the first 5 books of the Bible. Below is a fun resource to start learning about it.
Introduction to the Torah
Click here to view all the videos on the Parshat Experiment
Back to Day 3 | Continue to Day 5