MAKE AMENDS EACH TIME YOU REPENT

1st SEPTEMBER 2020

^“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham’. ‘ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ ” – Luke 19:7-10

One of the keys to meeting Jesus in life is to make restitution at all times. For as long as we live, we must be prepared to make restitution after each repentance.  Our Restitution forms the seeds of a new beginning after we have repented and have been forgiven of our sins. The word of God today tells us that: 1. Zacchaeus felt inwardly guilty of defrauding people, 2) he was remorseful over his past actions, and 3) he was committed to making a refund. From Jesus’ response, it is clear that: 1) Zacchaeus was saved that day and his sins were forgiven, and 2) the evidence of his salvation was both his public confession and willingness to give back those things he wrongly acquired.  We are called to imitate Zacchaeus as true Christians each time we fall under the influence of sin. As true Christians, we should strive to give back those things wrongly taken on each time we repent of our sin. Genuine repentance must be accompanied by an actual redress of the wrongs already committed. Although there are some wrongs that cannot be adequately restituted, e.g. murder, as in when someone has actually killed another. You may not be in a position to adequately compensate or restitute the crime of murder. In such instances, we should strive to make a form of restitution that demonstrates our repentance, but at the same time, we should not feel guilty about our inability to make full restitution. Restitution paves the way for a full encounter with Christ. Restitution also brings peace between us and those we offended; it builds trust and confidence. But we must be very careful so as not to fall victim to our regular laws. If we are caught breaking the laws of any country, the law will require us to make restitution and/or serve a penalty under that law. This is regardless of whether we repent or not. Therefore, live with care and strict obedience to the regular laws of any country, especially the country in which you are a resident. in other that you are not humiliated by law enforcement agencies. However, if for whatever reason you don’t get caught, God will eventually hold it against you on the Day of Judgment, unless you repent and seek His forgiveness. If you repent, He expects you to make restitution voluntarily by going to the person you have wronged and making it good with him/her.

PRAYERS

Father in the name of Jesus Christ, today I receive strength to overcome my sinful disposition. I receive strength to reconcile and make peace with everyone. I declare I am not held down as a result of my sins. I declare I am set free by thy Grace. For this reason, Jesus Christ was manifested; to destroy the effects of sins in my life. Therefore, I say Abba Father, for I am delivered indeed! AMEN.

FURTHER READING:  Zechariah 5:4