Matt 4:17 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."God is watching. As I ponder Scripture, I read the verse several times through, listening to what the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart through the Words of God.
We would all imagine Jesus is saying, "stop sinning, your time is short and there's no time to waste." That could be it. I heard something more from our Savior this morning.
Turn from your sin, God is near.
The kingdom of heaven has always been near us because God is alive and well and still involved with His people.
Remember the show Father Knows Best? I'll use Jim Anderson as an example because he was considered a good and wise dad. Let's just say he's our dad and he follows us around all day long, watching what we do. He even climbs into bed with us. Now, do you suppose if we had Jim Anderson tailing us around all day we might do things a little differently? How would our grammar sound? What kind of words would come out of our mouths? How would we carry ourselves? What would we do with our time? When we're at work, would we slough off some of our duties or would we be attentive, careful and steadfast with every task? What would we eat and how often? What would we drink? How would we act in every private moment?
We would act a lot differently if our good dad were following us around all day and night. How much more should we care, knowing our Heavenly Father is here with us every minute?
Repent, the kingdom of heaven is near. The Lord watches over us as a loving father cares for his family. He doesn't want us to fail. He's not watching to make us nervous and miserable, but to guide us back onto the right path when we get separated. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion, pushing us towards the path of righteousness. Sometimes we wander off on our own. Turn around, He is never far off. Father knows best, let's get back on track.
O Lord God who sits in heaven, we honor Your name. Forgive us for straying off the path and doing our own thing without a thought for Your holiness. We repent and receive Your forgiveness, sweet Jesus. Holy Spirit, may we be attentive to Your every prod today and stay on track. May we trust in our Father who knows best. In Jesus' name, amen.
