Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Repent and believe in the gospel.
Luke 13:4; Mark 1:15

Repent!
Earth tremors, storms, hurricanes, typhoons – catastrophes succeed each other somewhere in the world, destroying possessions and lives and causing despair to many people. One question comes to mind: “Why there and nowhere else?” Today’s verse teaches us that we must not try to compare the responsibility of one or other, but that we must rather examine our own situation.

Can death not suddenly strike anyone or any part of the world? We must ever be ready to meet God. Jesus told His listeners how it is possible to prepare for the time, and His disciples often repeated it: “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Repentance means agreeing with God about the fact that we are sinners. Conversion is making a right-about turn towards God, accepting His grace that forgives and grants eternal life.

Judgment will come on a world that rejects God and sinks into moral disorder. The calamities that God permits are warning signs, forerunners of what will soon come upon all who failed to turn to Him in time. “Do you think ... that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:3.4).

Today’s reading: 1 Chronicles 16:7-22 · Psalm 89:1-10
Original version of The Good Seed Daily Devotional for Friday, October 23, 2020 by GBV Dillenburg GmbH