Remorse or Repentance?

God calls us to go beyond “I’m sorry.”

THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10).

Psalm 51 is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible for its words on the power of repentance. Here we have a snapshot of a pivotal moment in the life of King David as he’s going through the process of remorse and true repentance for his wrongdoings. There’s a big difference between remorse and repentance, and people confuse them all the time. Do you know the difference?

Suppose you’re driving down the highway and get pulled over by the state police. Most of us are immediately remorseful because we got caught breaking the speed limit. However, that’s not real repentance. True repentance is being sorry enough to stop what you’re doing and change your behavior which, in this case, would mean driving the speed limit whenever you’re behind the wheel for the foreseeable future.

Repentance and being sorry are not synonymous. They may look the same at first, but after a time, the blame game reveals a person’s true heart. When we’ve wronged someone, repentance means we acknowledge that we’re the victimizer, not the victim. We then take steps to change the way we think about the wrong we did.

There are three key markers of repentance that we can glean from David’s confession:

1. Repentance requires a humble confession instead of defensive excuses.
2. Repentance involves personal responsibility instead of dodgy blame-shifting.
3. Repentance requires deep, honest cleaning instead of cheap relief.

Friend, anyone can feel sorry for what they’ve done, but when we make a U-turn from our sinful ways and seek forgiveness from God, that’s the benchmark for a true Christ follower.

Listen to the sermon series: Repetence here

Part 1Part 2

Ministry Update from Mark

A few weeks ago, I, along with Pastor James Ford and Pastor Nick Gatzke, had the privilege of speaking to some 1,200 men at Moody Bible Institute’s Walk Worthy Men’s Conference in Canton, Ohio. We were so encouraged by the stories of bold obedience men had taken in the last 12 months! When you commit to live boldly for God in your life, it can make all the difference! Remember “A bold step to take, a cycle to break, a legacy to make.”