Repentance, deep sorrow or regret, is a powerful force in our lives. My students show regret and sorrow often, but more often their sorrow is for getting caught than for their actions. In Luke 13, Jesus tells those in the synagogue that they need to repent in order to get into heaven. He tells the story of a fig tree that won't bear fruit. The owner tells the servant to cut it down, but the servant begs for one more year. He will fertilize it and work with the soil around it. If it still doesn't bear fruit, he will cut it down.
We are given chance after chance to sincerely repent, not just for the actions seen by others, but everything in our hearts. In Exodus, I am still reading the plagues of Egypt. Pharoah is given numerous opportunities to release the Israelites. He repents. He prays for forgiveness and asks Moses to pray for him. If God will grant forgiveness over and over for Pharoah, how much more will he do for us?
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