I've been having a running conversation with a few folks lately, and my brother gave me something last night that's working through my system. I've come to a point where I've begun to think of *repentance* as a total attitude adjustment - not just turning away from bad stuff, but even in the good stuff, getting the mind/heart of Christ on the issue. Our motivations become holy, our desires more God-centered and kingdom-oriented. But the prevailing notion of *repentance* is the turning away from sin, exhibiting confession and acknowledgement and leaving it behind.

What I've considered two sides of repentance, my brother noted that maybe it's two different issues semantically - repent of bad stuff, renew your mind to good stuff. The reason, he said, was that he couldn't find where Christians, after choosing to follow Christ, are ever called to *repent*. We are called to leave the dead sinful baggage of the old nature behind, but we're also called to be renewed into what we've been newly created for in Christ (Colossians 3:5ff; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Cor 5:17).

I can track with the notion that we're to repent in coming to salvation, and after that we cooperate in the process of renewal. In that sense, adding on to what I've been discovering up to this point, that *renewal* means that I begin to think like Jesus thinks, see as He sees, perceive and discern as He does. I buy into His vision as it's revealed; I begin to let Him act through me, have "opinions" through me, seek after desires through me. I let Him ask/seek/knock through me in prayer, and I let Him speak creatively, lifegivingly, encouragingly and correctingly (I love making up words) through me......
- posted by Rick @ 09:47