June 26

And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching 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.

We are living in times when too many Christians are saying that we can come to Jesus without repenting. Yes, we want people to be saved, but no one will do this without realizing their own guilt and failure before God. Jesus knew this, and He emphasized that the turning point for each of us was to realize that we must repent. Repentance is a recognition of our own inability to satisfy God’s requirements, and beyond that it is also a turning toward the one true God who can solve our dilemma and give us the free gift of salvation in Christ. We will not see the need for Jesus when we think that everything is going our way. No one will ever turn to Jesus without first repenting.

These are troubled times for the world. Anyone who studies prophetic scripture must realize that events are pointing to a cataclysmic end to our way of life. The Lord is not interested in pleasing our every fantasy or in providing us with material things to keep us happy. Instead He wants to gather as many of us that are possible into His kingdom. We need to hear and believe in the good news of Jesus, and then all the rest will fall into His will. Repentance is the first step in this process. It must be emphasized whenever we speak to others about accepting Jesus.

Lord, let me be a model of repentance. I have so much to repent; do not let me forget that fact. Let me speak boldly of this matter when I am with my fellow friends and believers. Give me the grace to share this with unbelievers. I seek no end result—just let me be a seed planter. Together we face the world, and I look forward to the kingdom that You will continually reveal. In Jesus name. Amen.
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