Cgeneration devotional

One of the reasons why Saul disobeyed, sinned against God and was unrepentant was because he was afraid of his people. ‭‭In 1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭24‬ ‭GNT‬‬ the bible says “Yes, I have sinned,” Saul replied. “I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted.”

Does this sound familiar? Are you a victim of people-pleasing?

If you are familiar with the story of the kings of Isreal, you’ll know that Saul was the very first king of Isreal and he had all the potential to become a great and successful king. Unfortunately he did not attain his full potential and God rejected Saul from being king and replaced him with David. But why did God replace Saul with David? How come David was forgiven for his sins but Saul was rejected?

When we sin against God and all we’re focused on doing is hiding our sin, it shows that we’re not repentant and we can see how this played out in the life of David. Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV says “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.””

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Adam & Eve sinned against God, but when God spoke to them about it, they chose to play the blame game!

Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ says “Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.”

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Esau traded off his birthright to his brother Jacob. When he realised what he had done, he wept and begged to get it back. But was Esau truly repentant?

“Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate..”

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Because we carry out certain actions or rituals that are associated with repentance doesn’t mean that we have repented. So what are some of those things that we do that make us feel like we have repented when we really haven’t?

Throughout the bible from the Old Testament to the New, there is a consistent call for repentance. In Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, God was making a call for the Israelites to repent and it says “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.” So what is true repentance?

In Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, Jesus said “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” So the first call of Jesus for sinners is repentance. So what is repentance all about?

1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬ says

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

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Even though it’s absolutely impossible for God to be foolish, even in our wildest imagination, whatever can be termed as the foolishness of God is still a 100% wiser than human or worldly wisdom!

Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ ‭- 20 NLT‬‬ says

“By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens. By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.”

‭If God operates through wisdom and created our amazing world through wisdom, it would be foolish for us his children to try to do otherwise.