Matthew 21:31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”

We have trouble grasping, or really believing, that it doesn’t matter what a person has been so much as it does what they are willing to become. That’s what repentance is all about. In Ezekiel 33 God says clearly that trusting in past good to cover up present evil results in our destruction. At the same time, there are many examples, such as David, of people who did good, fell badly, and then repented and turned to the Lord. We aren’t to write people off, and particularly, we aren’t to write ourselves off. Someone was once telling me about a woman who came to him distraught, thinking that she had committed “the unpardonable sin.” His answer to her, which he reported to me, was spot-on: “If you’re worried about it, you haven’t committed it.” The devil tries to hide this truth from us, telling us that we’re too far gone, that we might as well give up and plunge further into sin, but that is one of the nastier of his lies. A major element of the Gospel is that it’s never too late, if you have a heart to repent and believe. The deadly option is thinking you have nothing to repent of, and can get into heaven on your own merits. That’s not to say that we’re to go around putting ourselves down as miserable sinners, but rather that we need to be like Paul, who said, “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4) We just need to keep our repentance up-to-date.

Of course, this applies to me. Every once in a while I mention something in my past that shocks the person I’m talking to, but I don’t parade those things. Rather, I seek to live as a demonstration of the reality that walking in step with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25) is a real possibility. To do that, I’ve got to be honest with God and with myself about my weaknesses, and be quick to repent when I stumble or fall out of step. As a pastor, I need to help people understand that God’s forgiveness is real, and they probably haven’t done anything worse than I have! People need to realize first of all that they need salvation, and then they need to realize that it is genuinely available. The devil tries to hide both of those things, so spiritual warfare is very much involved. I’ve got to take Ephesians 6 to heart and go to battle for the souls of the people around me, because God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for recent reminders of my emotional weakness. Help me never think I am strong without You, and at the same time know that I can do everything with You. (Philippians 4:13) May I be an effective tool, a faithful servant, in Your hands, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!