CrossWay Women,
We have completed week one of our Matthew study and are now into week two, I am a bit behind in sending this. I am excited about what God is going to do among each of us if we desire to be transformed as we open up His Word. Two weeks ago, we drank tea together and enjoyed time with one another. After the tea, each cup and saucer was hand-washed, clothed in bubble wrap and prayed for. This year, we can expect God will do mighty work in each of us. As I cleaned each vessel, I asked that we would be empty vessels, ready and willing to be sanctified and changed for His glory.
This past week in the passages, we hear John the Baptist proclaiming, "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand " (Matthew 3:2). John may have been preaching to the people near him, but His words are true for us today. Repent means to turn away, to intentionally change your mind. It doesn't mean changing your ways (that would be your works), but true repentance is a change of the heart.
This change of mind/heart results in a change of allegiance. Friends, we can only serve one ruler, one king. We must decide, this day, now, whom we will serve. Will you serve Satan, the ruler of this world, and all that glitters of gold and attraction here, or Jesus, the King of Heaven and eternal mercy and love? Right out of the gates, even before Jesus begins his formal ministry, John the Baptist makes clear the two options we face. It is as if he is saying, "Change your mind about your relationship with God." John warns us, and the Jews in front of him, that the time has come when the wheat and the chaff will be separated and burned. To which group do you belong? That is the question we all have to face. Am I the wheat or the chaff? Is my destiny my Father's house, or the Father's wrath? If you are unsure, flee to the Savior, run to the cross, and surrender to Jesus, repenting of your sin and allowing Him to forgive, cleanse, and transform you into a Kingdom-Minded Woman who bears fruit in keeping with repentance.
This isn't following your parent's faith, like the Jews were following Abraham, or faith in knowledge and talk (faking it till you make it) like the Pharisees. This is a real-life change, and it takes a real-life surrender, a change of allegiance, a turning away from what the world is offering you, and a turning toward our King. I mean, "… the Father [who] has qualified you (every outcast around) to share in the inheritance of the saints (to be part of HIs family) in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness (Satan) and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12–14) The Kingdom of God is where He reigns. “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”(Luke 17:20) Does King Jesus reign in you and what are you willing to sacrifice for Him? What was He willing to sacrifice for you?
❤️ Meghan
