Daily Devotions
Repent
Title: Repent
By Joshua Carter
Reading for July 27: Isaiah 41-43
Weekly reading for July 22-28: Matthew 1-4
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” Matthew 4:17
It’s the very first word of Jesus’ ministry, the very foundation of discipleship. Repent. The English word “repent” is translated from the Greek word metanoeó, which is made up of two parts: meta and noeó. Literally translated, meta means “changed after being with” and noeó refers to the thoughts and dispositions of the heart and mind. Putting those together then, “repentance” captures the idea of thinking differently afterwards than before. Or in other words, to repent means to experience a change of the heart’s disposition and purpose.
Jesus often spoke in no uncertain terms about why repentance is so critical. In Luke 13, Jesus says the exact same thing twice (verses 3 and 5): “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Sin that we choose not to repent of and that we choose to live in will, without question, send us to hell. Jesus never softened on that point and neither will we.
However, in this context, it appears that there is something even more fundamental to Jesus’ charge. The reason Jesus calls people to repent in Matthew 4 is for the same reason John called people to repent in Matthew 3. Both men proclaimed repentance because “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The gospel—the good news—is that the rule of heaven has come to earth. The decree of the King is that His people will no longer be slaves to Satan and bound by their sins. There is liberty to the captives. Freedom is freely offered to everyone who will hear the message. So the call to “repent” is based on the gracious offer of forgiveness, in light of the gracious warning that someday those who refuse the offer will perish in judgment.
So how do we change the disposition and purpose of our hearts? We acknowledge the rule of the King in our lives. We stop seeing ourselves and our desires as our guides. We experience a fundamental shift in the core of who we are to see God as absolutely true and beautiful and worthy of all our adoration and obedience. If we fervently meditate on and embrace this spiritual reality, all of the hard stuff will become easy stuff, and we will “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). That’s the Lord’s will for every soul on earth.
Father, change us deep within. Replace all of our God-dishonoring habits and attitudes with God-exalting ones. We pray that we and every person under heaven will repent of our sins and experience true liberation in Your eternal kingdom.
