Jesus said to the people in the synagogue: "No prophet gains acceptance in his native place."...( Luke 4:24)
What does it mean to love like God loves? Isn't the job of a prophet to announce God and his loving ways?
God's love is infinite which makes it is so energizing to think that we can go through life ever more learning
his infinite loving ways. While some people act like it, we never "arrive."" I love the poster with a runner
running out on a country road with what appears to be an endless horizon in front of them. The caption on the
poster, "There is no finish line."
I have written and spoken about this before but it bears worth repeating. In your relationship with Jesus
there are two people in the equation - you and Jesus. One of these people needs to change and one does not.
Guess who needs to change? Hint - Jesus does not need to change - he is perfect in whom there is no sin.
What are we willing to do to change for Christ? A couple lives in the drinking and partying scene. None of
their friends there care about growing in Christ. They experience the love of Christ when they come back to
church. It is true, real, joyful and there are no hangovers and regrets with Christ. And it just keeps
getting better and more loving as they seek to grow in Christ through church, prayer, learning, etc.
But they learn about repentance through this whole process. Repentance means both to turn away from something
and turn to something. Not only do they have to give up the partying but they must also replace it with
something. That "something" they are turning to is a Someone whose name is Jesus Christ. A big part of
their change means turning away from the old party friends and choosing to surround themselves with friends
who are going to lead them to Christ. On a spiritual level, repentance means turning away from that which
kills our spirit and turning to Jesus who empowers us with eternal life.
The job of the prophet is to call people to repentance - to get rid of that which is not God in us and replace
that space with God. Pray about and write down areas where you have truly repented in life. What areas do you
still need to repent in? Our infinite God will give us infinite ways to improve in his love.
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