Welcome back to 31 Days of Love in Red Letters. Before we jump in, click here to find the first day of this series, as well as a list of all the posts together.
Okay, now we jump!
John the Baptist had been preaching a message to prepare people to meet the coming Messiah. Jesus came on the scene and repeated the command.
It’s not a cuddly message. It’s not a word people are itching to hear. It’s the kind of command that makes some people angry. But no matter how anyone responds, it comes from God’s love for mankind. Not only that, but it’s the first command Jesus gave, so we’d better listen up.
The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! Mark 1:15, NIV
Notice the first phrase–the time has come. This tells us something new was going down. The time had come for Jesus to preach the good news, to heal the sick and feed the hungry, and to invite the masses into a new way.
Then Jesus said the kingdom of God has come near. God’s reign on earth had begun, through Jesus’ coming, through God coming down to us. What god comes down to their people? Our God. He came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Luke 17:21 says, The kingdom of God is in your midst. The kingdom of God was present on earth in the person of King Jesus.
That right there? Is reason to repent and believe.
So what does it mean to repent?
To repent is more than saying you’re sorry. It’s more than a change of mind. It’s a complete turn away from the sin you held dear. It’s a turn to–or return to—God. Repentance is the idea that we’re all running away from God, going our own way. When we repent, we make a complete turnaround, and then we’re running to God.
After this, we always run to Him. {Except when we don’t. Because sometimes we won’t.} Hence, the need to repent and return.
In order to receive Jesus Christ, we must believe. And part of believing is agreeing with God that our sin is not okay. It’s seeing that our sin leads us away from God and agreeing we don’t want that. So we forsake whatever sins we struggle with, and follow Christ.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.
The beauty of repentance is GRACE–manifested through God’s faithful forgiveness. Even the message of repentance is His love in red letters.
Have a beautiful day…and hold on, it’s almost Friday!
~Angela
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I love your theme of Love letters. When we repent our slate is clean. Thank you.
Thanks Diana!