A candid examination of our lives can be painful if we choose to wallow in our mistakes. And most of us tend to judge ourselves harshly even to the point of being non-forgiving. But Jesus said to us in Matthew 9:2," Have courage... your sins have been forgiven."

Jesus didn't say your sins might be forgiven, or they would be forgiven sometime in the future if you continue to be good. There were no conditions attached to it. He said, "your sins have been forgiven."

How many of us hold onto the pain and suffering of self-condemnation even though we have been assured in 2 Chronicles 30:9 that "the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you when you return to Him." But once we determine to lead a new life, how many of us forget the joy of turning everything over to God? How often do we forget to let go of our sorrow and our grief and our judgments?

Through the initiation of the Cross, Jesus Christ became the bridge that provides us a way back from our destructiveness. He provides the light that shines forth for us to find our way out of the darkness we created through separation. Through the crucifixion Jesus set us free from suffering and from the pain of separation.

To repent for our sins is to recognize and turn away from those behaviors and thoughts that no longer serve us; those barriers that we try to put up between ourselves and God. When we examine the word "mistake" we discover a golden opportunity for a new life. We see that there has been a "mis-take"and that we are allowed to "re-take" the thought or the action for a more desirable outcome for all.

To repent, then, is to commit an act of joy, not sorrow or guilt. It is to heal the pain of separation and realize that we are the living, breathing expressions of God on this Earth. God does not turn away from us. Only man can choose to see himself separate from God's grace. Only man can shut himself off from the blessings of God's unconditional Love.

We are loved. Not for what we have done, or " who" we are, in all our artificial importance, but because we are. We are the children of God.

"Seek the Lord, and you shall live," we are told in Amos 5:6:

To repent is to walk fully into the arms of the Lord and to accept the message of Romans 5:21:

We must be willing to give ourselves over completely to God, to release any ties to pain and suffering, for as long as we hold on to the threads of these things, we cannot fully embrace the gift of God's grace to us. God will not over-ride man's free will. God's love for us is all allowing. We must be able to recognize and respect the totality of God's grace in order to accept His generosity as it has been promised to us. We must choose to allow God's grace to set us free from our suffering and pain.

This is our responsibility. In any given moment we can turn away from destructive thoughts and behaviors and respond with the ability to choose to allow God's grace into our lives.

As Jesus provides the bridge, the way, so then must we provide the decision. Only we can determine to step onto this bridge and walk the distance to accept and partake of the blessing of God's love. Only we can choose to open our hearts and allow in that which has been promised to us from the beginning.

Through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, we are given the fulfillment of that which was spoken and promised, set forth with intent and demonstrated. The rewards of our determination to accept the fulfillment of that promise are ever-unfolding in our lives.

Repentance? Let there be no room for doubt. Let there be no measure of hesitation. The choice is clear. The gift is eternal.

Every day is a new life, a fresh new gift from God, for us to make of as we choose. There can be no yesterday that would bind us to suffering and sorrow to keep us from receiving God's precious gift. THERE IS ONLY TODAY. In this day, in each moment, determine to put yourself completely in the arms of the Lord, and to be free.

"...Turn to the Lord your God; for He is gracious and merciful, patient and of great kindness and he averts disaster." (Joel 2:13)

Let repentance set you free. Let there be joy in the house of the Lord in your name this day. You can choose to live forever in the prison of self-condemnation, or you can choose to live free in the arms of God. The decision is yours. Amen.