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- ❤️ First Love Weekly #26: Repent and Live!
❤️ First Love Weekly #26: Repent and Live!
Weekly post about God in the daily with encouragements from the Word
Jae Leeholland
July 28, 2024
When the Israelites turned their backs on God and even went the distance to declare that “the way of the Lord is not just” (Ezekiel 18:25), God made the following case for them to repent— and live.
“Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”
And we know how this story ends up…
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
God eventually takes the matter into His own hands, through Jesus— born of the Spirit and the very incarnation of His Word and the covenant God made with His people.
Recently, I came across this old excerpt of the late Tim Keller talking about Dorothy Sayers: an author who wrote herself into her own novel as Harriet Vane to save a lonesome and lost fictional character, Lord Peter Wimsey. Sounds similar to the relationship between God, us, and Jesus doesn’t it?
All throughout reading the Bible I hear the Father reaching out His hand into my day-to-day, saying ‘I designed you to thrive, and I want you to live!”
So, how do we live and operate in this spiritual reality that is greater than what our eyes can see and our hearts feel?
This past week, Mary and I went to watch The Lion King on Broadway. There, the Lord reminded me how through a pivotal scene (warning: a spoiler alert!) where Simba comes to realize his true self and the calling therein. The scene goes like this:
Mufasa: Simba.
Simba: Father?
Mufasa: Simba, you have forgotten me.
Simba: No! How could I?
Mufasa: You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.
Simba: How can I go back? I’m not who I used to be.
Mufasa: Remember who you are. You are my son. And the one true king. Remember who you are.
The answer is simple. We are all called walk in the truth— the truth that sets us free.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Amen, and amen. A hundred times— amen. Hallelujah to the king of kings.
As God and John the Baptist and Jesus all preached, I encourage you, my beloved, to repent and live!
Let the Word of the living God and the Advocate establish your steps, and walk each step with boldness and in truth— let your light shine on others, brilliantly and unequivocally.
With love,
Jae
Mary & me at The Lion King show on Broadway 🤩
“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:3-5)
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