Who among us does not like to be treated with honesty, dignity, and respect? There is not one person on this planet who, deep down, doesn’t desire others to do good to them, to treat them in an understanding, kind, and considerate manner. However, many may not outwardly admit it because they emulate a rough, tough, and coarse exterior due to their past or present behavior and environment.
The truth is, on the inside, everyone desires to be treated with value, compassion, and honor. Unfortunately, because of the wicked and horrible things that happen to each of us in this world and the abuse received from others, this causes a hurtful cycle of people repaying others’ evil for evil.
Jesus came to call us out of that vicious cycle of doing wrong to our fellow man because no good thing will ultimately come from those who do evil. God warned long ago that all those who do evil will be punished for their sins. Yet Jesus came to change everything. He sacrificed Himself to pay the price for forgiveness from each sin man could ever commit. He desires you to turn from evil, which no one enjoys when it is perpetrated against them, to be holy as He is holy.
If you are done with the heavy weight of your own sins, the pain of your past, and the suffering you have had to endure, Jesus is waiting for you with open arms. He calls you to run to Him, repent, and turn away from evil ways. He desperately wants to grant you mercy and grace even though you have made so many mistakes.
He has made a way for you to be forgiven by God, cleansed from sin, and to be free from a life of sadness and regret. If you humble yourself and agree with God that your lying, cheating, stealing, lustful heart, covetous desires, and selfish ways are sins, then it is time to ask Him for forgiveness. Ask Jesus to clean your slat, save your soul from the judgment that is coming for all who break His commandments, and change you from the inside out. If you do this, He will forgive your sins, save your soul, change your heart, and grant you eternal life and reward in Heaven with God when you die.
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, Acts 3:19-20
Understand that if you have come this far and are still with us, God’s patience has given you another chance. Unlike many people who refuse to give you a second chance, God is extremely patient with you, waiting for you to turn from your sinful ways. He loved you enough to die for your deliverance and wants you to be saved from your sins that cause you to suffer and the punishment waiting after death.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
When you repent and turn to follow and obey Jesus, He will give you His Holy Spirit to teach you and mold you into the respectable, honorable, and dignified person God always intends you to be. Through your obedience to work on yourself to be more like God and your dedication to Him, the Holy Spirit will change you inwardly to be a better person than you could ever imagine was possible.
His(Jesus’) divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Peter 1:3-4
At this point, I want to speak to those who have already come to Christ and have decided to follow Him. It may not have been very long since you have repented and turned from a lifestyle of sinful behavior, or you may have been on His path of life for a long time. I want to remind you that His disciple is ever present to the children He loves. God is always at work revealing sins buried deep within your heart that need to be rooted up.
He will correct behaviors that He desires to change in your life and even bring punishment if you refuse to obey His discipline. As a father would discipline his child, God will continue disciplining those He loves. Never forget that no one will ever reach perfection, living entirely without sin. Still, you must learn new lessons to become more like Jesus Christ.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-11
So, I encourage you to seek Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, no matter if you have not turned to Jesus yet or are already following Him. God never lies; He patiently waits for you to become completely devoted to His ways and the future He has designed just for you. Turn, believe, and obey Him with a simple devotion of faith to do whatever He commands. For God has declared, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
