Repent and Return

 S - Acts 3:19-26   (NASB)

19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the [i]Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the [j]period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your countrymen; to Him you shall listen regarding everything He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onward, have also announced these days. 25 It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 God raised up His [k]Servant for you first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

O - Peter and John healed the man who couldn't walk at the gate to the temple.   As a result many people so the man dancing for joy and pursued Peter and John.  Here Peter once again shares the good news to God's people.  They need merely to repent and return to God, so they may be absolved of their sins and refreshed in the presence of the Lord.  They exalt them to do this so the second coming of Christ may come and all who repent and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior shall be saved.  

A -  The application for me is to recognize that though I have repented and confessed my sins and call Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior that the kingdom of heaven is still yet to come upon the second coming of Christ.  I am a child of God who is now Kingdom of God oriented but living in a fallen world.   I must be a light in the darkness and lead my girls to you God so that they may not die but live in Christ alone.

P - Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your word , may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would continue to lead me away from sin and toward your son.   I pray Jesus you would forgive me in times I have fallen short, and help turn around the effects of my sin.  I pray that you Holy Spirit guide me on shepherding my family.   I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.