Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is here; repent and believe in the gospel.” — Mark 1:14-15
There are unforgettable moments in our lives. Some are like a highlight reel, replaying some of the best days we’ve experienced. Maybe even more visceral, though, are the unforgettably difficult moments. The day you got told, “We’re letting you go.” The argument that destroyed that relationship. The time you let down people close to you. The moment you got caught red handed in sin.
In those times, we feel that life can’t get any worse, that this is the lowest of the lows, and we don’t know how to drag ourselves out of it. Honestly, we don’t even like talking about these memories, and you might be ready to quit reading, but hang with me.
It might just be that God wants us to hit rock bottom.
More accurately, God wants us to be at a place where we will turn to Him and Him alone.
If we are honest with ourselves, life is extremely difficult, and filled with much more pain than we care to acknowledge. And we bring a good amount of it on ourselves. When Jesus began his earthly ministry, he started by sharing the Good News- “God’s reign is now! The time has finally come!” And then he said it- REPENT.
Repent means to change your thinking, to redirect. And somehow that’s good news. Well, when we recognize we are on a trajectory for hell (or at least hell on earth), we finally are able to see the need to change. The Good News is that there is a better way, and it is God’s way.
God is in control. God is King. Because He is our leader, God sent Jesus to conquer all our enemies- sin, death, and the devil. Jesus comes to us in the darkness of regret and shame and guilt. And as the light shines in our darkness, we see ourselves as we really are. We need to change. We need to repent and believe in the hope that comes only from Jesus.
Do that today. Recognize your need to change. Recognize that you cannot rely on yourself. Admit that you can’t get out of this by your own power. Repent today, and believe in the Good News that Jesus saves!
Dear Jesus, You rescue us from the darkness. Proclaim Your saving grace to us, and help us to experience the freedom that comes from turning to You. In Your name we pray, AMEN.
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