Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline;
therefore be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:19
It is so good
to be loved. I can’t imagine a world without love…but I know it is there. It is
there in the homes with child abuse and neglect…it is there in that sinful sex
and slave trafficking that exists around the world. Heaven help us…Lord help
them.
Those of us
who know the Lord Jesus as our savior are blessed to be loved, unconditionally.
With that love comes the correction and discipline that John writes about in
this message to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). Correction and discipline are
not always pleasant—actually I’ve found them to be humbling. A Christian friend
of mine once corrected me…and as an adult I was at first a bit taken aback. How
could anyone think that they needed to point out my flaws…much less tell me
that I should change my way of treating others. Hmmph. But she was right…and
later I thanked her for pointing out to me that I needed to change. That was
unconditional love. God loves us just how we are, but He wants us to change and
be like His son Jesus. That was how my friend was treating me. Change and do
things Jesus’ way. OK. I zealously repented and changed my way. Have you ever
been confronted by a friend or the Holy Spirit telling you that you need to
repent and change your ways? Take a look inside of you and see how God wants you
to change…to be more like Jesus. Then repent of your old ways…and ask God to
help you change your ways with a zeal and enthusiasm for the Lord.
Several years
ago in the back of an old Bible I had written this definition for sin that was
originally from Suzanne Wesley, mother of Charles and John Wesley. “Whatever
weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your
sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases
the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however
innocent it may seem in itself.” So by this definition, sin can be a lot of
different things to different people. Ask your children what “sin” is to them.
What are their sins that they need to give up…repent?
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| Beach life...rocks at Folly Beach, SC |
Family Summer Activity – Do your kids know what it means to repent? Gather
up some palm size or smaller rocks. Let
the kids each choose one rock and then write their sin…in one or two words…on that
rock. Go to a nearby ocean, lake, creek, or river and pray for forgiveness for
those sins. Have the children enthusiastically throw their rocks into the
water. Those sins will never float back up to the surface…they are gone
forever. If possible, let them wade out into the water…and see if they can find
their rock floating, drifting or swimming. Very visual and tactile experience.
Lord God, thank you for forgiving us for our sins.
As you taught in the Lord’s Prayer…forgive our sins as we forgive others. So
help us to forgive those who have sinned against us, too. Thank you for friends who care enough...love enough...to confront and correct us.
Adapted from
July 16, 2013…
Happy 3rd Birthday, Aaron.
Faster than the speed of lightening!
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm
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