The word “repent” is illustrated in scripture, as having a boat whose very small rudder is able to make a very large boat turn about. In the movie Titanic, we are told that the rudder was too small to turn the ship about fast enough to avoid the ice-burg, resulting in the infamous disaster. Never the less, a very huge ship can be turned about with a very small rudder.
A second illustration of what repenting should be is travel. With modern day GPS travel should be easy, (GPS - the tool that was supposed to revolutionize getting from point A to point B without stopping to look at the map, which is no doubt sending you back to the map, like it is me). I will admit that for generally getting you there over a long distance, on major highways, I like the GPS, and for finding places when a map or computer are not handy, I like it. But I turn it off when getting around in an unfamiliar city. I get very tired of being told to stay in the left lane, just moments before being told to make a right turn. What? Did no one tell them it’s illegal to make a right turn from the left lane? Both illustrations indicate to us that the Christian walk is a matter of navigation in God’s eyes. Not a treadmill of choosing right from wrong, or trying to choose which religion is the best guide. (Spiritual GPS) Who ever actually gets it 100% right anyway?
Navigating the Christian walk is frustrating to seasoned, well-studied Christians, much less for newly saved individuals, who have way too many religions telling them what is the best way to go. Of all the Bible “dirty words,” as Lori calls them, “sin” has got to be the one that sends people away from the Christian concept more than any other word. “Repenting of sin” sounds down right gut wrenching, to an adult who is contemplating Salvation, if it means a daily grind of self inspection, which includes trying to draw all the fine lines between RIGHT and WRONG.
Think about it. If you take any subject, and you begin to use it to navigate according to it’s rightness or wrongness, you find yourself on a pendulum of swinging from one side of the issue to another, of “how far can I go without crossing God’s line?” NOT that we are trying to sneak in a little sin, but that we are trying to not displease Him. (double negative intended.) Sometimes it seems even the Amish sin. And by the way, they admit they do. Do you get the point, that it is impossible to live by a right/wrong gage? The more you try to gage your sin, the farther you get into living under the law, and we are made free from the law by our salvation. It’s a ploy of Satan to keep us looking at ourselves, and take our eyes off Jesus.
To some people, this argument sounds like a total cop out to pretend we don’t sin. But properly labeling sin for what it is, and looking at repentance as God wants us to see it, makes the “repent” word down-right appealing. Sin is any thing we do that is taking us in a direction out of God’s perfect will for our lives. Sin is like driving to a destination and getting on the wrong road. It affects us in negative ways. It adds frustration and stress to our circumstances. If it is the wrong road, it just won’t get us where we are going. The only way to resolve the situation is to turn around, or if traveling by boat, turn the helm by moving the rudder > to head in the right direction. Whether it is a total turn around, backtrack and start over, or is just a simple left or right turn -time is lost. But there is no getting around the fact that we won’t get to a northerly destination going south.
Living within God’s will is as simple as that. It is not whether my pants are the right color, or if my tattoo is upside down. Ridiculous? Well some of the things that people say are sin gages are ridiculous too. If there is one thing I personally believe Christians need to repent of, it is falsely representing the Christian walk - as a list of rules God wants us to follow. We have turned more people away from Christ by misrepresenting him and why he died. And that my friend is sin.
Can we always avoid disaster when our ship is heading into sin even though we repent? Sometimes, we just don’t realize we are sailing headlong into the thing that will destroy us, until it’s too late. That is the sole reason for finding daily time to take a look at the map, turn off the religious GPS, and focus on the destination. And on hearing the still small voice of God.
One last thing about repenting. For me it is most often an act of pulling up anchor. I find my self anchored, going round in circles, as if dead in the water, unable to move forward. Finding safe harbor, refueling, and restocking are all elements of the ship illustration of the Christian life. But the only time it is good to just sit idle in the water is for fishing, rest and relaxation, and research. If your engine and equipment are sound, there always comes a time to pull up anchor and go! So repenting may not be a change in course, or a decision to stay on course, but a decision to set sail for a God given destination. That too can require a change of mind or circumstances. Without making the change, sin will develop in your life. Is God going to send you to Hell if you miss the boat? NOOO! You just won’t receive the greater things God has in store that can be found at that destination. Why miss out?
See sin, from now on, as a going thing, not as a doing thing. See repentance as a change in course thing, not a sit down and cry cause I’m so bad thing. Your self worth will rise, because you will begin seeing yourself as God sees you – as a friend with whom He can hardly wait to show how great things He can do in your life, which great places He wants you to go with Him to, and what marvelous things He wants to show you along the way. And why miss the gifts at the end of the journey. How simple to just realize you are sorry you're headed the wrong way, and turn about.
For Bible illustrative reading - Paul talks of living strictly under the law and being converted to the Christian walk:
Acts 26 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+26&version=KJV
He then tells the story of being prisoner aboard a ship – as a free man held prisoner because he has determined to petition Caesar. Paul is not in sin himself, but finds himself at the mercy of someone who choses to not heed Paul’s admonition from God for when and where to sail. They sail into disaster, and yet God remains with them, and none is lost.
Acts 27 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+27&version=KJV
2 sets of verses: from this text I would leave with you:
Repentance in the hour of need -
22And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
25Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Acts 27: 22 –25 &
40And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. Acts 27: 40
All the repentance in the world will not save you from the disasters that come into your life, but when they come, they will give opportunity to encourage others to believe.
LORD, help us to be willing to turn about, even when it means heading into rough seas, especially when our circumstances have hindered our getting to your intended destination. AMEN