New Direction

Nº 195

weekly devotions to refresh your soul by Dr. Dan Bolin - April 26, 2022

True repentance is no light matter. It is a thorough change of heart about sin, a change showing itself in godly sorrow and humiliation - in heartfelt confession before the throne of grace - in a complete breaking off from sinful habits, and an abiding hatred of all sin. Such repentance is the inseparable companion of saving faith in Christ. - J.C. Ryle

Early in his gospel, Matthew connects two powerful and fascinating stories. He states, “Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” And then two verses later he recounts, “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men.’” (Matthew 4:17b, 19)

Why did Jesus change his message? Why didn’t he call Peter and Andrew to repent? Was Jesus being inconsistent or playing favorites? Never! Maybe the call of verse 19 simply restates the command of verse 17.

Repenting essentially means turning and going a different direction, abandoning one destination and pursuing another. When repentance focuses on what we turn from, we miss the point. Primarily, repentance is about Who we are turning to and Who we commit to follow. Repentance is ultimately about our response to the offer, "Come, follow me".

God wants us to repent – to turn away from anything, good or bad, that supplants Him as the central and dominant force in our lives. Following the King of Kings will always lead us in a new and better direction.

Dan Bolin

President

Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc