The Ministry of John the Baptist
“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
These days, if we even use the word “repent” in common discourse, we emphasize feeling bad for something we have done. “I have repented” means “I am truly sorry for my actions.” Biblically speaking, repentance may imply sorrow for sin, but it includes so much more. Repentance is a thorough change of life. It’s thinking in a new way and heading in a new way. It’s turning from one sort of life to embrace another.
The approach of the kingdom of heaven called forth repentance in the day of John the Baptist. So it does today. When we recognize God’s sovereignty over our lives, when we realize that God is present to guide and use us for his purposes, we can’t keep living in the same way. Rather, we turn away from self-centeredness so that we might live for God. We reject a life of sin so that we might live rightly for God’s glory.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Has the kingdom of heaven led you to genuine repentance? How does the reign of God over your life impact your daily living?
PRAYER: Dear God, you are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Your kingdom touches all of life, including me. When I reflect on the implications of your sovereignty, I am called to repentance. I want to leave my sin behind and follow you. I seek to live for you this day, seeking your glory rather than my own.
Though my situation differs widely from that of John’s audience in the Judean wilderness, help me to hear a similar call to repentance. By your grace at work within me, may I turn my life around so that I might live fully for you each day . . . beginning right now. Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
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