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devotion
Topic Started: May 17 2009, 09:11 PM (198 Views)
the breeze
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the breeze
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Turning

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Sat, May. 16, 2009 Posted: 12:21 PM EDT


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Acts 3:19 NIV

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

We’ve all heard about the little boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He's sorry he got caught, but he's not sorry he had his hand in the jar… and the minute his mother's back is turned, he'll do it again.

You and I are just like that little boy… so many times, we do something we know is a sin. We feel guilty about it… sort of. At least we feel guilty about the sin being found out… so we do our form of "repentance", saying we're sorry… but the minute that same temptation rears its enticing head, we dive right back in again without hesitation. We know stealing is a sin, right? So why do we all take things that don't belong to us? I know a woman who continually took items from her employer... paper, pens, pencils, file folders, you name it. She gave these things to her children for school supplies. She didn't need to steal. The combined salaries of herself and her husband were a very healthy living… but she did it anyway. Finally one day she was caught. And she was fired. She felt lousy about the whole thing. But what made her feel lousy was the fact that she got caught - not the fact that she was stealing. So, when she found another job, she started doing the same thing all over again, this time being much more careful not to get caught!

We've all done the same thing. We sin. We realize we've sinned. We're sorry. We ask God for forgiveness. And then we go right back and do the same thing all over again… and again… and again… and when we do that, we haven't truly repented… because repentance is more than just being sorry. It's also turning away from that sin… turning our backs on it… refusing to do it any more… ever.

Impossible, you say? Not if you finish the turn. Read the rest of what Peter says here… turn away from sin, and turn to God. That's a full 180° turn! When you turn away from sin and turn to Jesus, you've turned your back all the way on what is tempting you. You've turned your full attention to Jesus and away from what is tempting you. In that position, with your focus centered on Jesus, it's easy to keep your hand out of the cookie jar.

Used with Permission

Bonnie Ricks
This Day's Devotional


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"turn away from sin"

Good idea.

"and turn to God"

Who is God?
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ngc1514
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Which god? The single god of the Jews and Muslims or that 3 headed god of the christians?

I've been thinking about becoming a member of The First Church of Binary Consciousness - the Digitarians.

But I'm also leaning towards the Frisbeetarians - the ones who believe that when you die, your soul ends up stuck on the roof of a house in Buffalo.
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Now don't overlook The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

Here, from The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, are His "Eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts":
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1. I'd really rather you didn't act like a sanctimonious holier-than-thou ass when describing my noodly goodness. If some people don't believe in me, that's okay. Really, I'm not that vain. Besides, this isn't about them so don't change the subject.
2. I'd really rather you didn't use my existence as a means to oppress, subjugate, punish, eviscerate, and/or, you know, be mean to others. I don't require sacrifices, and purity is for drinking water, not people.
3. I'd really rather you didn't judge people for the way they look, or how they dress, or the way they talk, or, well, just play nice, okay? Oh, and get this into your thick heads: woman = person. man = person. Samey = Samey. One is not better than the other, unless we're talking about fashion and I'm sorry, but I gave that to women and some guys who know the difference between teal and fuchsia.
4. I'd really rather you didn't indulge in conduct that offends yourself, or your willing, consenting partner of legal age AND mental maturity. As for anyone who might object, I think the expression is "go fuck yourself," unless they find that offensive in which case they can turn off the TV for once and go on a walk for a change.
5. I'd really rather you didn't challenge the bigoted, misogynistic, hateful ideas of others on an empty stomach. Eat, then go after the bastards.
6. I'd really rather you didn't build multi-million dollar synagogues / churches / temples / mosques / shrines to my noodly goodness when the money could be better spent (take your pick):
1. Ending poverty
2. Curing diseases
3. Living in peace, loving with passion, and lowering the cost of cable
I might be a complex-carbohydrate omniscient being, but I enjoy the simple things in life. I ought to know. I AM the creator.
7. I'd really rather you didn't go around telling people I talk to you. You're not that interesting. Get over yourself. And I told you to love your fellow man, can't you take a hint?
8. I'd really rather you didn't do unto others as you would have them do unto you if you are into, um, stuff that uses a lot of leather/lubricant/vaseline. If the other person is into it, however (pursuant to #4), then have at it, take pictures, and for the love of Mike, wear a CONDOM! Honestly, it's a piece of rubber. If I didn't want it to feel good when you did it I would have added spikes, or something.
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