For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10, ESV)
I’ve yet to meet the player who looks forward to playing on greens that have been recently aerated. For those of you newer to golf, aeration is when the staff has punched a bunch of little holes all over the green, making it a little more difficult for the ball to roll smoothly on the putting surface. Now why would any superintendent do this? The long and short of it is that it helps the green to be healthy. Aeration gives the soil beneath the surface a much-needed breather and promotes root growth and improved drainage.
Repentance is not a one-time act, but rather something that is common in the life of a Christ-follower.Just as golfers don’t enjoy playing on aerated greens, we Christians can become begrudging about repenting. Our nearsightedness inhibits us from seeing that aeration is ultimately a good thing, and so is seeing our sin, hating it and repenting. Repentance goes further than regret or contrition; it invokes a person to change their mind and actions.
Our verse for today speaks of true repentance, which leads to salvation. Hallelujah! What a message! I need that every day. Repentance done thoroughly results in deliverance.
Worldly sorrow or regret can’t do this. It merely leads to death, because there is no change involved. If all we do is grieve, we’re playing a religious game. We have not welcomed Christ to give us new life.
Our sin is like the compact soil beneath the green, and the punched holes provide a repentance-like effect on the soil. It helps heal the greens and provide life. Without aeration, a green will die. Without repenting and turning to Jesus, we will face divine judgment.
Repentance is not a one-time act, but rather something that is common in the life of a Christ-follower. Tim Keller in his book, The Meaning of Marriage, says that forgiveness and repentance are two keys to marriage. I would argue they are vital to the life of any believer in any context!
The Savior we proclaim at Easter should be celebrated every day. He rose from the grave and conquered sin and death, empowering him to redeem us though we sin. He has made a way for us to not bear the consequences for our sin because he has paid the price we ought to. If we confess our sins, he is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV).
The next time you tee it up and get to the green to see that it is aerified, may you smile as you remember it is a life-giving process. Let this remind you of the need to repent and allow Jesus to do his life-restoring work in you.
—
Aimee Neff
April 20, 2017
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.