After John the Baptist was taken into custody, Matthew 4:17 declares, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’“ Repentance refers to changing our minds in order to begin thinking more like our Savior. As we change our minds, our behavior will follow.

Repenting is always related to the issue of sinful practices. Since God hardly forces anyone to do anything, the above verse comes off as an invitation to repent because the kingdom of God is closer than we realize. It is a beckoning call as much as Philip inviting Nathanael, “Come and see (John 1:46).”

The word repent comes from the Greek word metanoeo meaning, to think differently with the feeling of compunction. Meta alone means above. Noeo refers to our thinking. There is an invitation here to grow above our lower worldly patterns of thought. God wants us to begin thinking beyond and above as we will in His kingdom which we are about to enter. We should want to align our thoughts and behaviors with the kingdom of heaven, as Jesus declares it to be near.

The pattern we can practice today is seen in Luke 19:1-10, where Jesus invited Zacchaeus to join Him for lunch at Zacchaeus’ house.

1) NOTICE: At dinner, Jesus’ words caused Zacchaeus to notice his need to change. We get Jesus’ words by reading our Bibles. As you’re cut off in traffic you may notice your need.

2) ENGAGE: Zacchaeus’ mind was changing as he began to engage with the words of Jesus, pledging himself to follow.

3) ACTION: Engaging in the words of Jesus led to a change of his actions. He gave away half his possessions and four times back to those he defrauded.

4) REINFORCE: Write down points 1-3 . Post this note on your mirror, vehicle or fridge to reflect and reinforce your daily growth. This is not a one day practice. Be blessed as a doer of God’s word.

James 1:22
Pastor Huck