Beyond the Weekend

September 22 | The Baptizer

September 22, 2020

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4

Read: Mark 1:1-8
Listen: Mark 1

TODAY’S MESSAGE

The wilderness is where we find John the Baptist. You probably underlined this in your journal on page 11, but it’s not a random location. John is near where the Israelites entered the promised land centuries before after years of slavery in Egypt. But now they are under foreign rule again, beneath the mighty hand of Rome. They’re anxiously waiting for a second Exodus. That’s why the people of Judea and Jerusalem flock to John and confess their sins. They want to be rescued.

John preaches a baptism of repentance. He tells the crowds to turn from the wrong way of living and begin living the right way.

We may think of repentance as a one-time event today, but it’s much more than that. It’s a lifestyle of turning from wrong to right as God reveals it in our lives. We repent when we take steps to shift from being a person of anger to a person of peace. We repent when we make changes to stop envying others and instead be grateful. We repent when we embrace Chair Time daily instead of making excuses. We repent when we stop wasting time on social media or Netflix and invest that time into improving our relationship with those around us. We repent when we recognize our materialism and begin to embrace radical generosity.

The call to follow Christ is one of daily repentance as we turn from something wrong and embrace the way of Jesus.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Open your journal to page 16 and write this prayer: God, it is time for me to repent. I admit I’ve been doing ____________. I don’t want to do that anymore, but instead want to ______________. I ask that you would show me the practical steps I need to take to make that happen. I know I can only do it with your help. Thank you for loving me and walking with me through this.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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