“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
Mark 1:14-15
Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
When Jesus says, “the Kingdom of God,” He is talking about a promise that God made many years before. He promised that His Kingdom would rule over all the earth. God’s Kingdom is not just one area or place on earth—it’s His rule over everything.
In the Kingdom of God, He is the King who makes the rules, protects us, and gives us what we need. Sadly, there are people who don’t want God in charge of their lives—they want to be the king of their own life and do things their own way. This is what we call sin. Sin is disobeying God, and it separates us from Him. Because God loves us, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross and come back to life so that we could have a relationship with God again.
As Jesus tells people about the Kingdom, we also see Him tell them to “repent and believe the Good News.” To repent means that we admit to God that we have sinned, and we turn away from our sin to obey God instead. Then we believe the Good News—we believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross and that He rose again. When we repent and believe the Good News, we can be saved. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is coming soon. At the time He was speaking, He had not yet died and risen again, but He was telling the people it would happen. So for us, we can know that He came to be the King of our hearts right now. And one day there will be no more sin, and Jesus will return so that everyone who repents and believes in Him will be with Him forever.
God gave us the Good News because He loves us so much! We can show others His love by sharing the Good News—telling others that Jesus is our Savior and King!
What happens when we repent and believe the Good News?
What does it mean to you that Jesus came to be the King of our Hearts right now?
Thank You, God, for sending Your perfect Son, Jesus, to be our Savior and King. We know that the only way for us to be forgiven of our sin and have a relationship with You is through Him. Help us to turn away from our sin and live our lives obedient to You. We love You and want to share Your love with others. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.