Change, Return and Be Forgiven!
So you must change your hearts and lives!
Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins.
Then the Lord will send the time of rest.
(Acts 3: 19)
The calling given to each of us during these days may sound exactly like today's title. We are called to change our hearts and lives, come back to God and be forgiven by Him! There may be many of us who would be reading this devotional today with a heavy heart. Our hearts may be filled with the burden of our sins. Our thoughts may be troubled by the conscious decisions we had made to run towards sin in moments of temptations. We may be struggling without anyone to show us the path to return into the gracious presence of God and be forgiven. We may be in search of rest; a rest that only the forgiveness of our sins could give us. And, today's passage specifically informs us of the good news.
After Christ Jesus' resurrection, and after witnessing Him in person, Jesus' disciples were inspired and enabled by the power and presence of God, that they were able to stand in spaces they could not imagine and could share the good news and God's love to people who came in search of it. Disciples, Peter and John, have a special place in our hearts when we think of the growth of the church, as they were two important voices that laid the foundations of the Christian life! Peter's call was not for a church, but for a changed life. He voiced not for evangelism, but a for the return of people. And, especially, Peter not only proclaimed the change of hearts, but also the change of lives. The assurance of God's blessings was in the way of 'rest' to the troubled city and people of their time.
I would like to draw three important pointers from this powerful message that Peter gave to the people of Israel at Solomon's Porch. These people had run towards Peter and John after they had seen the crippled man being healed after the interaction he had had with these two disciples of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles informs us, "All the people recognized him as the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God, and they were amazed. They wondered how this could happen" (Acts 3: 9-10). And Peter, knowing the need for him to speak about the truth and the good news, shares these foundations of the Christian life.
Change your hearts and lives
One of the first calling for a Christian is to have a changed heart and life. That's where a Christ-centered life begins. The uniqueness and difference in being a follower of Christ Jesus are to have a changed heart and a changed life. The promise of God's forgiveness and rest begins with the change that happens within and outside ourselves. The call to be a Christian is also a call to be a person who has a changed heart. Not to have the thoughts of earlier times. Not to have the intentions of the past. Not have the love over the accumulation of things in the world, but to be mindful of gathering wealth in heaven by loving each other and lifting God in our lives. And that is the powerful calling.
The beauty and greatness of this message from Peter are, that right at the beginning of the history of the 'church' itself Peter calls for the change! The church had begun as a result of the changed hearts and lives of people. And the church is called to continue the same. The change of becoming a true believer of Christ Jesus is not only by the change of hearts but also by the change of lives. Not only our thoughts but also our behaviour. The characteristics of Jesus should be seen not only in our hearts but also in our lifestyle. And that's when the real change happens and the change that happened within us benefits the world around us. It is only the change of hearts and lives that could make a Christian a blessing to the people around him. And that is the purpose of being a Christian - to be blessed and to be a blessing.
Come back to God
Peter, standing at Solomon's porch of the temple in Jerusalem, shares this message of hope among the people who had gone astray. When Peter saw the people of the city gathering around him, he said to them, “People of Israel, why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power or goodness that made this man walk. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, gave glory to Jesus, his servant. But you handed him over to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free, but you told Pilate you did not want Jesus. You did not want the One who is holy and good but asked Pilate to give you a murderer instead. And so you killed the One who gives life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this" (Acts 9: 12-15). And Peter invites them to return to God!
Just as Peter had encouraged the people to change their hearts and lives, he invites them to come into the presence of God than to stand far away and observe. And, this is the invitation today for each of us and the church. Just as we seek the forgiveness of God whenever we enter into His presence, the message from Peter invites us to return to God. Today, if you are burdened with the weight of your sins and are troubled because of them, today we know, that our loving God is standing with arms open wide. Let us change our hearts and lives, and let us come back into His presence.
Be forgiven of your sins
Just as Peter had assured in his message, the peace and joy that comes through the rest that God gives begin with the forgiveness of our sins. We place ourselves before God as we have changed our hearts and lives. We bow down before Him as we have come back into His presence. And, now let us ask His gracious love, the Throne of Grace to forgive us for our sins. And, we know God has promised us the rest that we seek in His presence. The heavy burden that we carry because of the sins we had committed, the sins that we knowingly and unknowingly have done is promised to be forgiven. But this forgiveness comes with a changed heart and life, and a return. And that is where the true rest that our souls are in search of is found.
Called to change, return and be forgiven
It is a call for everyone who is reading this today. We are called to be believers who are never late to change ourselves, come back to God and ask for His forgiveness. I have personally witnessed this rest, and I am sure that many of you who are reading this would have witnessed too. There were so many moments, sometimes even before going to bed after a long day, that I have realised that I have done something terribly wrong before the presence of God. And it is indeed, very difficult when I realise that I have to immediately change myself and to know that I have gone astray. But, with all the negativities around me, I helplessly, fall on my knees before God, give myself, and ask Him to help me to change things within and out. I ask God's help to lead me back home into His presence. I ask God to forgive me for the sin I had committed. And then, I slowly begin to witness and realise that peace and rest God gives me every time. I am sure the same with many of us and I am assured that all of us would have felt the same after each moment of change, return and request for forgiveness. Today, the calling is still there for each person who could call herself/himself to be a follower of Christ Jesus.
I pray that the presence of our God the Father, the precious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will help us to change our hearts and lives, come back into the presence of God and ask for God's forgiveness. May God grant peace and rest He has promised us when we run back to Him as people who have witnessed the change within and outside.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
