"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WANTING TO CHANGE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WANTING TO CHANGE"

LUKE 5:32“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

A few explanatory thoughts and application:

1. Change is the very thing that Christ has come to do. You can be confident He wants you to change, and will help you change.
See LUKE 5:32“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
The word repentance means to change. So, we see that the very mission of Jesus is to call men to change, your desire for change, is exactly what He wants to have happen in your life. 

2. Ok, I see you may say, but how do I do it?. Well, it's a gift from God. See James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
God is the great giver. as it says there in James 1:17 these gifts come down from the Father of lights. We receive His gifts by asking for them. So, if you want to change, simply ask Jesus to give you the gift of repentance. The word gift, does not imply work, but rather something given. The word gift here, actually means, bounty, benefaction.
Here's how it reads in the Amplified Version James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect ([a]free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
So, the gift of repentance is free, large, full, God is the one who gives it. He will give it to you, and He will help you to change. 

3. Here's one of the main and direct benefits of God's goodness. His Goodness, leads us to repentance.
Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? It says in Rom 2;4, "the riches of His goodness" The word "goodness" means, useful, good, gracious. What a great description of our God. 

4. Putting all this together, what hope we have that change can be ours. Because, it's God's will for us to change. It's God who gives repentance. His goodness, is the motive for Him giving it, and it leads us to salvation. Jesus always taught about God being a giver, and the Bible teaches us to ask God for those things that are in His will, and if we abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, we will have what we ask for. John 15:7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

A prayer:

Lord, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ. We ask not only for ourselves, but for everyone who may be reading this, or the people we know in our families, or in our church bodies, or where we work, or our friends, who really and truly want to change.
We are praying that they might look  to You. The giver of good gifts. We pray for this change. May You pour out change in an great
way. We love You for being our changer. Change our hearts we pray. In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia