The Old Testament word for repentance comes from the word meaning "to turn away and go back." We must turn away from sin and cling to the commandments of the Lord and his righteousness. There are, of course, many sins that we need to turn from, including things like untruth, anger, lust, sexual sins, deception, theft, idolatry, and much more. When I am careful to repent, I think of one sin in particular: neglecting God.
There are many kinds of relationships: between siblings, or between parents and their children, between a man and a woman as friends or as husband and wife. Each of us is part of many such relationships. What hurts us most is when a partner in one of our relationships does not want to relate to us, for example when a woman does not want to relate to her husband, not on any level. Or, as a son, I am hurt when my father neglects me. Or perhaps when my sister neglects me as a brother or as a friend. How am I supposed to relate back? That is who I am….
The great sin of people is when they neglect God. The relationship we have between ourselves and God is a special one indeed. If we refuse to relate to him as God, it hurts him deeply. He is our God! We must relate to him, turn to him, pray to him, honor him, submit to him, thank him, and worship him. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength; to remember him, to think of him and give him our attention at every opportunity.
Dear God, I repent for not relating to you as I should. Forgive me. Today I will indeed turn to you.
- 23 MARCH -