“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Luke 15:7 NIV
Joy In Heaven
Last June, Statistics Canada released the results of their latest life satisfaction survey, which breaks down how satisfied people are across each province. The province that had the highest percentage of participants rating their life satisfaction between eight and 10 was Newfoundland & Labrador, with 61.7%. After that is P.E.I., coming in with 59.7% in the same metric, and third place in life satisfaction goes to Quebec, which had 58.7% of its population feeling very satisfied in their life or close to it.
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I love reading testimonies of men and women in Eastern Europe who have come to faith in Jesus and have had their lives transformed. In our part of the world, those testimonies would use phrases like, “I gave my life to Jesus” or “I invited Jesus to be Saviour and Lord.” But in Eastern Europe they use the phrase, “I repented.” I think they have something there. When the Bible speaks of someone trusting Christ as Saviour and Lord, repentance is a big part of the story. In Luke 15:7, for example, we read about the response in heaven when someone is redeemed. Jesus says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.” Conversion and repentance go hand in hand. Without true repentance, without the step of turning your back on sin and determining to live for Jesus, there is no redemption. Jesus always called people to repentance. He never left them in their sin – He had come to make everything different in the lives of His followers. No wonder there is joy in heaven when someone repents.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley