SCRIPTURE:
“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.”
Revelation 16:8-11
OBSERVATION:
When man understands that God has the power to stop their pain if only they would repent, he can avoid much pain. Yet, when they choose not to, this is a very scary place to be – a refusal to repent and glorify him.
APPLICATION:
As a young child, repentance wasn’t even in my vocabulary. I had no idea what it was. However, the concept was made clear to me – When you do something wrong, apologize and do your best to turn away and not do it again.
While the punishment was unavoidable, the pain would be released. The pain of anxiety, turmoil and anger. The pain of distancing myself in relationship to my loved ones. The pain of living in my own sin.
As an adult, repentance was a concept made VERY clear to me, especially as a believer. Unfortunately, it’s one still lost on others. When you truly understand repentance and the blessings that come along with turning from your evil ways, it makes it something that you WANT to do instead of something that you feel like you NEED to do.
Repentance is a daily routine for me, if not a multi-daily routine for me – To repent and return to The Lord every single day, to ensure that I am avoiding all unnecessary pain in my life.
PRAYER:
Father Almighty. Forgive me Lord for times when I have chosen not to repent and chosen to live in my sin. Thank You Lord for all that You continue to do in my life. May I repent and return daily to you, this I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
