180° about turn

Excerpt from "the holy book" (A Sinner's Guide to Holiness), page 31:

What is repentance?

{...} Repentance is not, at its core, simply a sense of sorrow--feeling sorry for something. Sorrow may accompany true repentance, but it is not the essence of it. A person may be genuinely repentant and yet not feel much sorrow at all, or indeed any deep emotion. On the other hand, it is possible to be full of sorrow and sadness, but not to have made a single step towards repentance. The person might simply feel sorrow over having been found out in a compromising situation!

Repentance must be understood, rather, as a complete change in direction. It is an about-face with regard to God, and with regard to the way we relate to him. In the past we may have ignored, disobeyed and even argued with God. Now, however, the repentant person has turned away from this behaviour and has decided to serve God in a way which is pleasing to him instead. {...}

Was listening to 'Get Ready For The Coming King' (Introducing Jesus, Term 3, 2005) earlier today, and PJ also talked about true repentance being a change in the way we live our lives, not just the emotions that may accompany the realisation as shown from the Word that we've been living out our lives against God, be it in a particular area or in many areas.

Having been "burned" many many times in my first two years of uni (2003-05), and almost every time Wee Seng opened the bible with us (Derrick, Shaun and myself), it was both a really depressing time of heavy-heartedness, but also a time of grim determination/decisions to live life the way God wants us to (with some progress, thanks be to God). I'm certainly thankful for the many chances to hear and to repent (although it didn't really feel good then). =)

(The problem did come also after that: the emotions did happen so often that for a while after that I was struggling with whether I was really repenting, when I didn't have the experience of being "killed".

Ah... maybe if I had heard or read this then, then I probably wouldn't have to go through that last part, but then again that's not what this post is about. =P )

Back to the topic, it certainly is a good reminder of what repentance is, and I hope (and pray) that I'll continue in true repentance, not just the emotions part only, as I continue to study the bible. Not only that, but also for the reader, that all may come to repentance, be it for the first time in your life, or for the 5928th time in your life here on earth as a Christian.

(Keblakang pu~~~seng!)