Bible Verse Thursday Challenge #12 - God's Refreshing Presence

Welcome to this week's Bible Verse Thursday Challenge!  This week, I have selected the following verse from Acts for our challenge:

Acts 3:19

¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,

 that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

In this passage, Peter lets us know that the first step of salvation is to recognize our sin, to turn our backs on it and move toward righteousness in our lives.  He describes God’s plan as the “restoration of all things and associates the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ with the “times of refreshing” that are to come when the Father restores all things (the second coming of Christ).

From Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

“The absolute necessity of repentance is to be solemnly charged upon the consciences of all who desire that their sins may be blotted out, and that they may share in the refreshment which nothing but a sense of Christ's pardoning love can afford. Blessed are those who have felt this.”

Lent is just over a month away and I am beginning to think about it already.  Traditionally, Lent is a time of preparation through prayer, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial for the coming of Easter – when we commemorate the death and resurrection of our Lord.

So what does it mean to repent?  Bible repentance is a change of mind, prompted by a change of heart, resulting in a change of life.  Jesus told a story about a man who had two sons. He said to the first, "Go, work today in my vineyard." The first son said he would not work in his dad’s vineyard, but Jesus said he later repented and went. What did this boy do when he repented? He simply changed his mind. God wants us to change our minds about sin and our participation in it. That’s what the Bible is talking about in commanding all men to repent.

Repentance is a necessary part in becoming a Christian and in living the Christian life. Jesus said in Luke 13:3, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."  God wants all who have sinned to repent.  He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

If we continually seek his forgiveness and repent we will walk in the Peace of His Presence.  He is with us and within us, He goes before us to open up the way and He walks ever beside us.  Because He is our constant companion others will see His light in us and through us. 

Your challenge this week is to use this scripture or another verse to create a project that represents God’s refreshing presence.  When posting your project, please use keyword ODBDBVT12 and then stop by Our Daily Bread Designs Forum to share your work!

Supplies

 Cardstock:  Truly Yours – black card base; Bazzill – Walnut Cream, Jet Black; The Paper Company – Hunter Cover

Decorative Paper:  Simple Stories – Almost Home Collection

Stamps:   OurDaily Bread Designs – Porch; Hero Arts – Great Outdoors

Inks, Stains and Paints:  Ranger Distress Ink – Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Ripe Persimmon, Walnut Stain, Spun Sugar, Forest Moss, Crushed Olive; Versafine – Onyx Black

Dies, Punches & Embossing Folders:  Sizzix Embossing Folder

Accessories & Other Stuff:   Momenta Bubbles

Have a Blessed Day!