February 4
Joy in Repentance
“Joy shall be in heaven….” —Luke 15:7
Read Luke 15:1-32
After telling the people two well-known parables, the Lord Jesus declared, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (v. 10). The shepherd was glad when the one lost sheep was found and the friends and neighbours rejoiced when the lost coin was found. “That’s logical,” you say. But do we really rejoice when a sinner repents and turns to the Lord? Or are we sceptical and critical because it didn’t go the way we thought it should? There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents. In reading the parables, we will see that it was not man’s repentance that brought him back to the Lord, but the Good Shepherd’s seeking for His lost sheep. Look at the lost coin, for example. It was just lying there. What did it do? Turn to the prodigal son. See how he came to himself, how he rose up and returned to his father’s house. You could say he repented. But the parable ends with the words “he was lost and is found.” A complete reversal occurred. What can we learn from this? The Bible uses other terms than we might expect. We should leave these things for what they are and take the calling to repent seriously. If you would do so, there would also be joy in heaven concerning you. There will be joy when you begin to call upon the Lord, when you begin to pray, when you prayerfully read the Word, and when you look unto the Lord, waiting to hear what God will speak. Yes, there will be joy when you become a seeker and even greater joy when you find salvation in the Lord Jesus.
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.