Devotion: May 6

Remember. Repent. Return.

Scripture: Revelation 2:5
Topics:

Remember the threefold prescription of our Savior: remember, repent, and return. May God grant that we might remember our first love and from whence we are fallen. What a tragic term "fallen" is. You are a fallen woman … a fallen man. You have fallen from your first love. Repent from your spiritual apathy. Return to your first love for Jesus. Remember … Repent … Return.

It took the precious blood of Christ to forgive our sins, and nothing less than that will suffice. We cannot be redeemed by contrition or repentance alone, but we cannot be redeemed without them. This is the plain teaching of the Scriptures.

If we can catch ourselves and repent from the "small sins"—such as an unkind word or a covetous thought or a missed opportunity to witness or serve, then the return is not so hard. If we do not heed the Holy Spirit and instead we let things slide, we become backslidden, and the return is much harder. If we live in daily repentance, we will continue in His light.

 

Question to ponder: Have you lost love for Christ and zeal for His work? What can you do to remember, repent, and return?