Daily Devotional For Monday, June 9, 2025
Welcome back to Monday, Southside. We have been looking at what it means to know we are saved and are a child of God. So, how do we become a follower of Jesus Christ? It requires first of all: repentance. Did you know that the very first words out of Jesus’ mouth when He began His ministry was the word “repent?” Look at Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say,’“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (NASB). It wasn’t, “Attend a Baptist church.” It wasn’t, “Get in a community group or Sunday School.” It wasn’t, “Start or join a ministry.” It was: REPENT!
This was in keeping with John the Baptizer’s, the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus’, teaching. Look at Matthew 3:2, "John said, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (NASB). 33 years later at Pentecost, the disciple Peter used this same word “repent” in his very first sermon in Acts 2:37-38, “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ (38) Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (NASB).
“Repent or “repentance” is a biblical word we see all through the Scriptures. The Old Testament Hebrew word is [הֵשִׁ֙יבוּ֙, shivu] and the Greek New Testament word is [μετανοέω; metanoeo]. Literally, it means to do a 180. You are heading in one direction, in this case, a sinful direction, and you do an about-face. You choose Jesus Christ and His will, purpose and plan for your life in both attitudes that result in godly actions. This means you start to act differently, think differently, believe differently, even love differently so that you live differently through the power of Jesus Christ.
Repentance means we also renounce our sin and former life. When Peter stood up to preach in Acts 2:14-36, he was speaking to the very same people who 50 days previously had shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Now hearing they were under God’s judgment, Peter called them to repent of that sin and to renounce their sins. When we renounce our sin, we confess it. We name it. It is not some generic and general prayer like, “God, forgive me of my sins.” NO! You actually name them to God the Father.
So, as we said above, repentance involves renouncing your former life. This is what God had the prophet Ezekiel say to the Jewish people in Ezekiel 14:6. It is what the Apostle Paul told the people in Thessalonica to do in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10. Whether you admit it or not, apart from Christ you have idols that you worship. It might be your own pride. It might be your own opinion. It might be your pursuit of power, possessions, and your position in society. After you let Christ give you His life, then you are to destroy all those idols. We are to walk away from them, but unfortunately, so many initially do but only later return to them.
As Christians, when we think of “idols,” we often think of people in other countries bowing down to a statue of the numerous gods in Buddhism, or those who bow and pray to Confucius, or Muslims who pray to Allah. You and I can still have idols or gods we prefer over the God the Father. As we allow Jesus Christ to be our Lord, then everything, and I mean, everything begins to change so that we become more of a mirror of His character. This means as we fulfill Luke 9:23, our desires change. Our wills change. Our pursuit of the things of this world changes. We go from doing what we want to fulfilling what Christ wants. Whatever Jesus commands us to do, we willingly and uncompromisingly sacrifice to obey Him. This means even our relationships change. We are now committed to fulfill John 15:13 because we want to model for Jesus what He modeled for us. So, safety and comfort are no longer our goals – sacrifice and commitment to Christ and to spread the Gospel to others is.
Assignment: Take a moment to reflect. Would Jesus say your life is radically different today than when you came to Christ? Your enthusiasm for Christ is still at its peak? Are you still canceling your desires, your passions, your possessions, and your positions in life to remain a servant, a disciple of Jesus intentionally? Do you still confess your sins and repent of them? If you are unsure, sit down with a godly disciple of Jesus and get their feedback. Second, put yourself in accountability. Look for a godly disciple of Jesus Christ where their spiritual fruit is evident and ask them to hold you accountable?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 3:8, “Jesus said, ‘Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I do not want to let my pride get the best of me. I admit I am a sinner saved by the grace of God. I want you to bear fruit for me that is keeping with repentance. Help me not to compare my life and sins to others, thinking, “Well, I am not as bad as them.” It’s me Lord, It’s me Lord standing in the need of prayer and forgiveness. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly