Acts 2:38

I was very fond of my first satnav. I knew that I could completely trust its wise directions. On one occasion I was taking a group of friends to a railway station at the end of a conference. I spoke to them about the excellence of my satnav and the help that it had been to me. We weren’t far away from the station when my passengers expressed some surprise at the route we had taken. There was grass growing up the middle of the road and it certainly didn’t look ideal. However, it was the way the satnav had brought me so I assured them that it must be right. Then, to my horror, the road came to an abrupt halt. It was a dead end! The only way to remedy the situation was to turn around and retrace our steps. I had to admit that my wonderful satnav was, after all, not infallible.

There are times when the only way to correct a situation in our lives is by admitting that we have done wrong, and do a U-turn. That’s called repentance and it was precisely what Peter told his listeners to do on the day of Pentecost. They needed to turn around and start a new life. Their sins had caused the death of Jesus and now they needed
to head in a completely new direction, which would be marked by baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If they were willing to turn their lives around in this way the result would be the gift of forgiveness. They would be set free to live a new life with God.

It’s always hard to admit that we have done wrong. It wounds our pride and so we readily find excuses to justify our actions. But when God shows us that we have sinned against him, the only appropriate response is to admit that we have let him down, turn right around and claim his gift of forgiveness.

Question
What is your own experience of God’s forgiveness?

Prayer
Lord God, I admit that I have sinned against you. I repent of my sins and ask for your gift of forgiveness. Amen

Released on 24 May 2024