Think differently

Repent. We can see it as the lingo of loud, placard-waving Christians. But actually, the idea of 'repentance' is a massive part of how we live life with, and for, God. When we see the word 'repent' or 'repentance' in the New Testament, like in today's title verse, it's most often a derivative of the Greek word 'metanoe' in the original text. That verb is made up of two littler Greek words: meta (which is along the lines of 'a change after the fact') and noe (which means 'to think'). Together, the two parts of the word make 'repent': 'to think differently afterwards'. Wow, that makes it clearer.

Repentance is all about change; change that comes from the inside, from thinking differently about the things we do. It's not forced. It's a natural outflowing from a heart and mind turned around by Jesus.

So, today's title verse, 2 Corinthians 7:10, means: When we feel that God-inspired 'Uh-oh, I shouldn't have done that' moment, what follows is a different way of thinking about it. By thinking about whatever-we-did differently, we begin to be set free from our past. 'Godly sorrow...repentance...salvation' (2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV) Everything's better when God does the maths.



So what now? Had that 'shouldn't have done it' feeling about something? Write it down and also why it could be damaging to you/others. Ask God to change your thinking about it. Then write down when you start to 'think differently' about it. This is true progress on your journey of faith. Celebrate your progress!





— SCRIPTURE —

'Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.' 2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV
— SOULFOOD —

Eze 24:1-27:24, Matt 18:1-9, Ps 143, Pro 15:8-10