Wow! It has been a long time since I have posted. I became discouraged with blogging, and I have been pursuing other interests. I am only posting this thought today because I need to put it into words to think about it myself. You may read it if you like, but be forewarned, it is not pretty or eloquent.
I was reading in Luke 3 this morning. It tells about John the Baptist's ministry, his announcement of the coming of the Messiah. He was preaching "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin." Every time I have read that in the past, I have pictured people going down into the baptismal waters to symbolize new life in Christ. Today when I read it, though, I pictured people immersed in repentance, acknowledging their sin, crying out to God for forgiveness and restoration, and making repentance, not a one-time event, but a lifestyle.
I'm not sure I do that. I know I am supposed to stay current in my confession, but I am not sure that I have ever seriously considered the necessity of it as being immersed in repentance. How do you do that?
As I read further, I immediately saw the need for an immersion of repentance in my life, too. John told the seeking crowd to be content, to share with others, to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Okay. I am not content. Contentment is not exactly a part of the American lifestyle that I am so content with. (Well, come to think of it, I don't know if I am really all that content with the American lifestyle, either.) I do not share as freely as I should.
So, I suppose this could be considered repentance, or at least the beginning of repentance. I acknowledge that I have sinned. Now I must figure out how to turn from my sin, and walk in the way of the Master. Hmmm . . .
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