True Repentance

[Mark Fletcher]

Quote:Gospel of St. Matthew Chapter 18 verses 1 to 11

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

My query is about how one truly repents. I believe that true repentance is to become child-like in one's obedience to God's commandments. There are no intellectualisations, ifs and buts, but a child-like trust in God's Love and Care. One is obeying Him because a truly loving Father always knows what is best for his children, and His rules are rules of Love. God is utterly pure and holy, and therefore in order to receive us as His children, we need to reflect those qualities ourselves in all we do and all we are. There are also serious penalties for our not acting as God would have us. Learning comes from true penitence.

I would be interested to read other people's comments and experiences about this as it is a matter of crucial importance and affects everybody. How can I truly repent?