The world needs to see what repentance is from us

Scripture Read: Esther  4:1-3  When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. ² He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. ³ In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes 

Application: I find it important that as I study Your Word Lord – that so many times the repenting is from those of us who know You. So many of us see the condition of our world today and we have a deep belief that what is needed is repentance. We know that You honor the act of repentance, and that through it great healing can take place. Whether that healing is physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and/or financial. As we look at this passage though, we do need to be challenged by our approach. I realize the only target of this problem was the Jews, so they are the ones mourning and seeking Your intervention, which would make sense. Yet, as we consider how many times You have encouraged groups to repent, we need to look how that is being approached today. As an American, I have heard many in the Body of Christ call for national repentance, which I agree would be great. But, when I examine the scriptures the norm was not that it was important for those that have no relationship with You to repent, though it is clear that when that happened great works from You happened i.e. Jonah. 



The overwhelming examples in scripture though are of Your people repenting no matter what the rest of the world is doing. Even the most quoted passage on this topic is still about those that are Yours - 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “My people”. This should be an issue because I believe we have duped ourselves into thinking that the sin problem of this world begins with those outside the Body of Christ. That is not scriptural! We see the world committing all the “big” social sins, i.e. Abortion, Drunkenness, Fornication, etc., and we preach how the world needs to repent so You will show mercy. This is true concerning salvation, but perhaps not true concerning the other troubles this world is seeing. Perhaps the moral decline, the acceptance of sin, the increase of natural disasters, disease, and financial ruin, does not lie at the feet of those that do not know You. Perhaps we, Your church, need to look into the mirror and ask if we truly are repenting and seeking Your hand of mercy on us. Much of the Church accepts the love of money we have, the complacency over private sins in our life and the lack of true confrontation in the church over sin.  Our willingness to spend our energy and time on making this life the best it can be for us, while ignoring a lost world and being content with “if they want to go to hell that is up to them!” Though it is true, people decide for him or her self about salvation, what example do we give them to cause them to reconsider their choice? When we look the same in our personal life, what is attractive about that? Father, let repentance begin with us, You will honor that!

Meditation Questions: Do you ever sit at a message wishing that someone you knew was hearing it? Does that thought stop you from getting what God wants YOU to get? When we take our stand against sin, do we start with our own? Each person is responsible for their own decision concerning Christ but are helping them or hindering them?