Friday, September 10: Pearls of wisdom

Bonnell Thornton said, “Some often repent, yet never reform; they resemble a man traveling in a dangerous path, who frequently starts and stops, but never turns back.” Sin surely is the most dangerous path, for it leads to certain death. Paul wrote:


For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23


In that statement, Paul summarized that the deserved toll for the work we do on the highway of sin requires us to pay with our own lives. God, though, has offered an escape clause in the contract. If we repent of our sin, then He forgives us, and instead of our death being the payment, God receives payment in full from the death of His Son, Jesus.


In addition to that forgiveness, God gives us pearls of His wisdom! Our repentance becomes the pearl in the oyster. A grain of sand, a parasite or even damage to the mollusk can create the beginning of a pearl, as the oyster covers that external stimuli with nacre, or mother of pearl. In the same manner, repentance is an entirely external stimulus. Without God, we would have no reason to turn from sin. Our desperately wicked hearts are content serving ourselves, rather than serving God, and through that love, serving others.


Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7


God has imprinted His ways and laws onto each of us, as He created us. We know the difference between right and wrong, and without God, we choose to do the wrong thing most of the time. Without God, why would my sin break my heart, just as it breaks God’s heart?


As a Christian, the Holy Spirit affects our consciences. After sinning, He causes us to reflect upon our sin, and think how our actions hurt others, too. That becomes the grain of sand in the oyster, an irritation. The more we reflect upon our sins, we begin to cover that irritation with mother of pearl. After enough time, that reflection grows into repentance, when we ask for God’s forgiveness and turn away from the sin, as we can see how badly the sin affected ourselves and others. Sin becomes a pearl in the life of a Christian. From failure comes success due to the hand of God, who makes something beautiful out of something ugly! That sin being removed from us additionally teaches us love for God, who forgave so great a debt.

Yet we need to remember that reformation is the last stage of repentance. If we continue to sin, without learning from those mistakes, we will find ourselves on a dangerous road. More time might elapse between steps, but if the one-way road is headed to destruction, eventually, we will arrive right where we are aimed. To reform is to learn from your sin, and put yourself on a path with a different end!


But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Matthew 9:13