Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

I think it’s only fitting that as we finish this week of devotions together, Matthew is finishing up this section of scripture. Up to this point, Matthew has explored the “pre-ministry” life of Jesus, but now we are about to see him break on scene and preach a life changing message! “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Jesus is saying that in and through Him the kingdom of heaven is breaking through this present world.

If you were to look up the word “repentance” in a Bible dictionary, you would probably see something that says, “A change of attitude and action from sin toward obedience to God.” Many of us would define repentance as a “turning” away from sin and towards God. Whatever terminology you want to use to describe this “turn” or “change,” I think we can all agree that to repent is to walk away from our old life and walk towards a new life in Jesus.
Repentance is tough. It takes humility… It takes us recognizing that what we’re doing is not working and something is missing! In our culture, the connotation of the word “repentance” almost seems offensive. But to call someone to repent is actually quite the opposite… it’s a message of love. It’s a message that leads to LIFE!

I believe the reason that repentance is difficult for humans is because we view it as leaving something behind. Somewhere over time, we have come to believe that Jesus wants to remove all the fun from our lives and give us a bunch of rules. This couldn’t be further from the truth! I can honestly say that I have had more fun, experienced more joy, and have a peace that surpasses all understanding since allowing Jesus to come into my heart, and I couldn’t imagine going back to my old life.

When I repented and walked away from my old life, Jesus gave me a new life better than I could have ever imagined!

As we finish up this week together, I want to keep this short and sweet just as Matthew did in this passage. If there is something in your life that is not pleasing to the Lord, repent… turn away from it… change your attitude from sin towards God. Walk away from it and walk towards Jesus!
Yes, you’ll be leaving something behind, but gaining so much more!

See you Monday,
Taylor