Acts 3:19-20
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”
A close friend of ours was driving a rental car in Europe. While taking photos of some of the high mountains, he left the main road. He wanted to get back to the main road and decided to take a “short-cut.” (Men are famous for trying to find short-cuts). After a time he noticed that several cars were following after him, so he was sure it was a road that led back to the main road.
Suddenly he saw armed guards and a gate. It was the border to another country and he was not permitted to enter. He had to make a U-turn and go back and retrace the route he had come. As he now met the cars that were following him, the drivers glared in anger. They had been following him because they thought he knew where he was going.
There are two aspects to this true story. First, Ron was required to make a U-turn! He could not reach his destination without a U-turn. The word “repent” in today’s Scripture needs to be understood: “Repentance (metanoia, ‘change of mind’) involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness.”
It is not enough for us to mentally acknowledge God and Jesus Christ as Savior. The Word of God requires a turning from our old life and going God’s way.
The second aspect of this story is the effect we have on others. Many people are following us and, sad to say, we can very easily lead them down the wrong path. When we make the U-turn to go God’s way, with the blood of Jesus covering our sins, there will those who will follow us.
What am I saying here? It is that we have an influence! That influence can lead people in the wrong direction as well as in the right direction. What a sobering realization. People may spend eternity in hell because they were following us in the wrong direction.
When we repent and make that spiritual U-turn, we need to warn those who have been following us that there is danger ahead and they must make a U-turn and follow us to the right road. Heaven is just ahead!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil