The thing that hit me this Sunday during worship was the power of the goodness of God in leading us to repentance. One of Thomas' points was that God's judgment makes a sinner hate God even more. It's the kindness of God that brings us to repentance. (Rom 2:4) That was the emotion I felt during the singing prior to the message; the songs of God's grace and His initiative in reaching out to me only made me more aware of my need to repent from my pride and self sufficiency. I am so wretched, yet God is so good.
Repentance doesn't come from learning all the "do's" and "don'ts" and then feeling bad for not being able to carry them out. It comes when we realize that we don't deserve the goodness and blessing that is showered on us by God. Then we are no longer motivated towards goodness by a sense of duty; we are motivated towards goodness by God's own goodness to us.
Please pray for our church as we continue to become the Bridge!
