From the Kitchen Table

Victorious Living Day 30

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.        Acts 2:37-41

Cut to the heart.  That’s deep, that’s significant, that’s life-changing.  It’s what happens when we realize that we are in the wrong and what we did or are doing, hurts.  We live in a world of hurt that keeps hurting because the One who came to stop the hurt, we hurt and killed.  Yeah, we did that and do that with our stupid, selfish, stunts.  I don’t mean to be vulgar but our sin put Jesus on our cross and our sin will kill what Jesus wants to do in our lives if we don’t repent.  Repentance involves replacing what we’re thinking, what we’re doing and what we’re wanting with what God saying, doing and wanting.  Old habits die hard and that’s why we need to let God’s word cut us to the heart.  There’s going to be some pain but it’s for a greater promise.  God is doing something bigger and better in the lives of believers who are willing to replace their way of believing and behaving with His way.  That’s called repentance!  Here’s something to think about.  Where revelation ends, repentance stops.  When we quit  seeing and hearing God, we will quit honoring and serving Him too.  That’s what leaves us in a world of hurt.