Jesus’ 5 Invitations Pt. 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. We’re talking this week about 5 invitations that Jesus made to people, and He made them at different points in these people’s journey towards God and their journey of discipleship with Jesus. The first invitation He gave was simply come and see.

You want to know more? You’re searching for answers, you’re feeling broken and need help in your inner life. Come and see. Just come and find out about Jesus.

After that, here’s what happens in Mark chapter 1, starting in verse 14. It says:

Now after John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God. Gospel just means good news. And saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.

Repent and believe in the gospel

Well, this is the next invitation. After you come and see and you start to find out more about who Jesus is, and you recognize that God is actually reaching out to you inviting you into a relationship with Him – that will change your life. Your life is broken. You are born that way. You need the repair, the saving that only Jesus can bring into your life. Jesus restoring your relationship with God to the way God designed it to be.

Well, the way to that is repent. And believe the good news.

What does repent mean? Well, as you’ve been trying to get your life together and finding it’s not working. You’ve been trying different things, haven’t you? You’ve been trying just doing whatever feels good at the moment. And yeah, there’s some pleasure there, but afterwards, there’s the letdown and you’re just in the same place you were to start with. You’re going nowhere with that.

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Or you, you think, well, I’ve got to do better at work, I’ve got to make more money, I’ve got to be able to travel and you buy bigger, better things, but it doesn’t make you any more satisfied in life. You’re just as empty as you were. It’s not the answer, is it?

And maybe you go out, you live it up, you have a lot of sex, you get involved with people on the level of pleasure, maybe you just get drunk a lot, you’re taking drugs. There’s all sorts of things happening. You’re trying to make yourself happy, but all you get is a momentary high, and then you feel empty again.

Don’t you think it’s time to recognize your ladder is against the wrong building?

You’re going the wrong way in life. The things you’re trying are empty. They’re empty promises that the world is giving you, and if they’re not satisfying you now at this level, do you think if you push harder, if you take stronger drugs, then life will suddenly come together? You think if you get more money, then your life will be great. You think if you have a more wild party life, then life will be better? No, you’ll just have the same short high and then you’ll be back in the empty place that you’ve been in for so long.

Don’t think going the same way is going to make things better. Repenting just means saying to God – I’ve been chasing the wrong things. And I recognize that. I recognize there’s no answers there. I need you in my life. You’re the only one who can help me start anew, and you talked about being born again. That’s exactly what I need.

I’m going to stop trusting in those other things. I’m going to try trusting in you. And I thank you that you have made a way for me to be forgiven through what Jesus did on the cross.

And you offer me that as a gift. You don’t ask me to clean up my own life, you’ll change me. So I come to you now, and I want to receive that gift. And I’m turning away from these things I’ve been looking to, to bring meaning into my life, and I’m turning to you, God, please come into my life, change me, fill me up with your life and make my life new.

That’s the next invitation Jesus is making to you. Repent, turn away from those other things and turn to God and just believe in what He’s done for you and invite Him to change your life.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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