Turn Around

Turn Around

Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:17

I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.

Luke 5:32

The kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

Have you ever driven or ridden in a car with a GPS that uses a computerized voice to give the driver directions? “In 300 yards, turn left,” it will say. When you’re using a system like this and you go off course, it will say, “Turn around when possible.”

Jesus had a similar message for people who needed to go in a different direction in life. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God.” He was telling them that they were headed in a direction away from God, and now was the time to turn around and start moving in his direction.

Some people think that repentance is something we do one time when we turn toward Christ. But for the believer, repentance is really a way of life. As we walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit continues to show us areas of our lives where we are headed in the wrong direction. He calls us to turn toward him and enter into the rest and freedom of repentance.

The most godly people you know are godly not because they never sin. They are godly because they are quick to repent. Rather than resisting God’s instruction to turn around, they listen for his voice and quickly respond to his instruction, running in his direction.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Have you ever found yourself headed the wrong direction? What were your options when you discovered you were going the wrong way?

Is it better to repent right away or to wait until later? Why?

What is the opposite of repentance?