The Fruits of Repentance

God wants to do so much more than forgive us.

Have you ever tried to clean a sidewalk, a driveway, or a concrete patio? Of course, scrubbing and scrubbing with hot water will wipe away some of the dirt, but if you want to restore it to its original whiteness, you need something more. In many cases, a good dose of bleach will do a fine job—and often with far less labor on your part. All you have to do is pour out the cleaning solution and spray it with a blast of water. Then, almost miraculously, the dirt rolls right off, and the concrete is as good as new.

Just as dirt, slime, and oil can accumulate and darken the appearance of a concrete sidewalk, sin covers our souls and darkens them. Yet with the gift of repentance, all that junk can be washed away simply and easily. All we have to do is acknowledge our sins and turn to God in humble, heartfelt repentance. Then his power of forgiveness goes to work, making us as clean as the day we were baptized.

Refreshment, Restoration, and Fruit. When we cry out, like King David, “Have mercy on me, O God,” God responds (Psalm 51:1). When we see our sin and imitate Peter by saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8), he doesn’t “depart.” Instead, he begins to work in us, refreshing us, restoring us, and even empowering us to bear godly fruit. In…

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