In the times of ignorance God overlooked…Now Commandeth to Repent

“The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent”  Acts 17 30

In the times of ignorance God overlooked…Now Commandeth to Repent

I am sure nobody can be completely ignorant nor on the other side fully be informed or educated in all the matters.  In this Passage a very strong and clear message of repentance is communicated especially to the ones who are in the ‘informed’ list. Most of the time we take God granted just because we are not reprimanded immediately for the mistakes we do. Yes, God is gracious and full of Compassion and that does not mean that we continue to take advantage or manipulate God’s grace. Rom 6: 1.

The second part of the verse in Acts 17:30b “… But now He commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent”.  I think it is crucial that we who have experienced the love of Christ should be careful to ensure that we “Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance” Mat 3:8.  My friend if it is not the time of your ignorance, then it’s time that you repent from all the self-centered practices. How often the greatest miracle and the free gift of the Lord “the Salvation” that has reached us once upon a time, no more seems to excite us and lead us closer to God . Paul says in Phil 2:12 “…Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”.  The Lord is serious and commandeth that we who claim to know Him, repent and do the deeds of righteousness. We see in Acts 24:24-25 that Felix and Drusilla who sent for Paul to hear from him of his faith concerning Jesus Christ. And it is said in Acts 24:25 that Paul was discussing about righteousness, self-control and Judgment to come, Felix became frightened and sent him away. Felix set a convenient season of being reminded and to set his way right, unfortunately that convenient season never came.  Jer 2:33 it says Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? A pointed question that needs to be  answered. What do we love the most which makes us to procrastinate the decision making.  Remember now is the day of salvation; tomorrow may be too late.

 Be aware that God will not continue to overlook your follies after you have come to know His salvation.  The immediate next verse in Acts 17: 31 says  “because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness…”   Judgment is certain my friend. In Heb 2: 3 says “How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation”. Try to identify if there is anything that goes unnoticed in your life that needs immediate change. Maverick psychiatrist  R D Laing captured in the words below how failing to notice that we have this space kills our ability to change. “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.  And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change, until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.”  And then of course there is this Law of certainty which talks about the 3 groups of people.

1.      Think that they know what they do not know.

2.      Conscious that they do not know, may or may not use the right method to find it

3.      Tragically do not think that they know at all, not bothered about finding

May the Lord help us that we do not fall in this category, but able to know our shortcomings and repent and return as said in Acts 3: 19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." 

Blessings