The First Thing needs to be First

Hi Sweet friend!

I have been out of touch lately, but needed to take a minute to get focused on what's important. I just finished a year-long study in Matthew and was struck by something new. In Matthew 28, Jesus shares the famous "Great Commission."

He says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

God just illuminated the bolded phrase for me this time. It got me thinking. What did Jesus command when He was doing His earthly ministry? Good question! So, we are going to walk through some of those commands in the coming months.

Even before He picked His disciples, Jesus's issued His first command. "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15 (ESV)

Sometimes it's hard to grasp what the Bible means when it says words like "repent." That's not a word we commonly use when we talk to each other anymore. So what does it mean to repent?

I don't know about you, but in my household growing up, it was very important to say you're sorry when you hurt someone. So one day, my twin sisters were fighting about something (I'm sure it was important.), and my mom stepped in. She said something like, "Now you tell her you're sorry." The oldest twin looked at her sister with daggers and said, "I'm sorry, you rat!"

Oh. My. Goodness!! We still laugh about that to this day! She was definitely NOT repenting here. She was saying the words, but her heart was not in it.

To repent, or "change one's mind," in the Old Testament called for a change in a person's attitude toward God. It wasn't just about the words. It impacted one's actions and life choices; it involved the idea of "turning," that is, from one way of thinking and living to a different way.

Common external signs of repentance include prayers of remorse and confession and rejecting of sin.

What are we to do with this knowledge? Well, you can add it to your knowledge bank of "Christian talk." Or, we can walk this out.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas in your life that you need to repent. He is always faithful to show us this. Why? To condemn? No way!

God wants us to be fully restored and in a healthy relationship with Himself. There is freedom on the other side of a clean heart!

​I hope you find repentance to be a place of restoration and peace!

Blessings in Him,

~ Stephanie

StephanieMBullock.com