“I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:3 NIV
Perish
On Sept. 1, 1939, the passenger liner Athenia left Scotland bound for Montreal, two days before Britain declared war on Germany. Athenia was carrying 1,418 passengers and crew, including 469 Canadians, mostly women and children, trying to get home before hostilities began. Among them was Hannah Baird of Verdun, Quebec. The Second World War began while Athenia was at sea and the Germans torpedoed the Athenia just 8 hours later. Hannah Baird was killed in the attack – the first Canadian civilian to perish in the war.
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If there is one word that describes the Christian life, it is transformation. The Bible often speaks about the fact that for the follower of Jesus, once we were dead, now we are alive, once we were in the dark, now we are light, once we followed our flesh and its desires, now we live in tune with the Holy Spirit. Everything about us, in this life and the next, changes, and if there is no obvious change, we must question if we have truly been transformed. In order for that transformation to take place, we must repent of our sin – which is more than regretting sin, but means making a 180-degree turn from it. Jesus says this about it in Luke 13:3: “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Repentance is not an option for the follower of Jesus. If you are involved in sin in any way, you are called to turn from it. Jesus doesn’t pull any punches here. If you commit to follow Him, you must turn from your sin. The change in direction, attitude and lifestyle must be obvious to you and others. Is it?
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley