Press the arrow to listen to Chris Tomlin sing “Kindness” while reading today’s devotion about repentance.

Scripture
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3:2

Observation
Heaven is not far away, it is as close to me as the house next door. I can enter paradise today and my world can begin to experience heaven now. What is the doorbell of heaven? Feeling sad enough to change.

The word is repentance and the experience is a gift. No animal can change, but humans can. No human can change him or her self, but God can. He gives to us the gift of sorrow that works repentance in our hearts.

Repentance is not a one time experience; we are to live in a constant state of change. We veer from heaven, and repentance brings us back inside. But the older we become the less we want to change. The problem is not with information, for we know what we need to do. The difficulty is with our pride. There is in us the notion that there will be a point when we will have it together an arrive, but we don’t and won’t. The road to heaven is marked with many u-turns.

“Have you repented today?” That was the greeting Hudson Taylor gave to his missionaries when he met them. It is a good question for me.

Application
There are times I become comfortable in the comforts God has given me in life. I start defending my wrong attitudes for there is always a good spin to put on any darkness in my life. And then I will meet someone with a tender heart, who will ask my forgiveness for some wrong or respond to a check of the Holy Spirit and change. It is then I realize that I’ve been sitting outside of heaven’s door, but missing heaven. I will accept godly sorrow and embrace humility, for the door is narrow so I may have to duck or turn sideways to get in.

Prayer
Father, I am still so often proud in the wrong ways. There are moments I see it, but those are too few. I don’t want to defend the old version, I am open to upgrade. How I need more of you in me. Father, please renew my life with the gift of repentance. Amen.