Repentance

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 9:1-3 (day four)

This is one of the many instances in Scripture where we see God’s people using ashes or dirt in their process of grieving over sin. They did this as an outward sign of their repentance and humility before God, showing their sorrow over their sins against God and one another. These instances in Scripture inspired what would become Ash Wednesday, an annual reminder that sin is grievous and makes us worthy of death, though through the grace of Christ we are granted life.

Echoing what Aaron stated in Re:Vlog, I don’t often become grieved by my sin in the way I ought to. Yes, we have perfect forgiveness of sin through Christ, but sin still grieves the heart of God, which means it should grieve our hearts as well. While Ash Wednesday is a wonderful annual opportunity to do this, we must make genuine repentance an ongoing activity. How might you incorporate this kind of repentance – sorrow over sin and gratitude for God’s forgiveness – into your life? Maybe this becomes the focus of your response time during Sunday worship, or maybe you find an accountability partner to pray with once a week. Whatever this looks like for you, we know that spending time in regular repentance will make us look more like Christ. What a wonderful reward!