"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 Messiah, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets."
Acts 3:19-21
I can justify just about anything! That piece of cake? I had a hard day. That sharp word out of my mouth? They deserved it. The roll of my eyes? They should be moving faster. Frustrated through our actions? They should be more accountable. Many times, we are quick to justify our actions that are less than acceptable. Believe it or not, this can also happen through the act of repentance.
Last week we discussed seeking our darkest sins. Today, it is about actually acknowledging them, getting them out of the darkness, and asking for God's forgiveness. Yet, how many times during the act of repentance do we try to justify sin? Instead of taking accountability for sin, we justify it. When we get to those deep-rooted sins, many times it is easy to justify why we behave in such a manner. "My childhood was difficult" or "My boss is horrible" or "My family is demanding", etc. We tend to justify versus accepting our sinful nature. What this leaves us with is a prideful self. "It's not all me".
It is all us - it is our own sin. A great example of this was Judas at the Last Supper. Jesus gave Judas the opportunity to repent, to take accountability for his sin when Judas turned over Jesus. Judas responded, "Surely, you don't mean me Rabbi?" He refused to acknowledge his sin! He felt he was justified in his actions and when given the chance to repent - right in front of Jesus, he declined.
When we react to our sin in such a manner, we are diminishing the sinners that we are. Accept it - we are human and we sin! Our ability to take accountability for sin provides us the chance to be free. Free from our sinful nature? Yes! We become free when we seek and acknowledge our sin to Jesus. When we do so, we are able to say, "I need your help, Jesus. I am a sinner, a grave sinner, and I need the salvation that only YOU can bring. Help me!!" When we respond to our sin this way, our shoulders are lifted, our step is lighter, and our desire to turn around becomes stronger.
This is not easy. It's not easy to say, "Look at me, Jesus. I am a horrible sinner. I deserve eternal damnation. I take full responsibility for my actions and my behavior." No, it isn't easy - but it is freeing. Once we are able to share all that with Jesus, we can then take the next steps of repentance, to turn our actions and behaviors towards that of our Savior! Is it time for you to be free? Is it time for you to acknowledge and turn around? During this Lenten season, let's all take some time to seek and acknowledge so we can be free.
Dearest Jesus, our sin is so much a part of us that we can easily justify it. Yet, we know, deep down, that there is nothing that justifies our sin. There is only one way out of this, to repent our sin to you, Jesus, and ask for your forgiveness. You provide us the path to freedom through your journey to Calvary. May we always remember this as we take the step closer to you. Forgive my sins, Jesus. All of them! In your name I pray, Amen.
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