I read a story about an elderly woman who was driving to the city, about a hour and half away from her home, but two days later and 900 miles away she realized something was wrong. She had relied on her GPS but it had malfunctioned! She simply assumed that it was guiding her to her destination. She had gone the wrong way! She decided that she needed to “turn around.”We may all face that problem— we get the wrong information and our lives are headed in the wrong direction. We get information on how to lead our lives from TV, movies, sports figures, celebrities, even friends. We listen to false philosophy and ideas—maybe from people we know and trust. We may live our lives for years before we wonder if we are going the right direction.Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT and believe in the gospel' (Mark 1:15). That word “repent” means to turn around and reconsider where you are headed. This idea of repentance is a repeated theme throughout the Bible. The Old Testament prophets told Israel to repent, turn away from their sins, saying in Ezekiel 14:6, “Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”The apostle Paul preached, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). When our lives are not headed toward God, we are called to reconsider, the change directions. It shows up again, and again, and again throughout the Bible. So obviously repentance is important to God.We are called to live a Christlike life. Jesus plainly said that He as the way, our example of what we are to model in our lives. So we are told that we must imitate Him.Now, in our verse today (Mark 1:15), Jesus said “Repent and BELIEVE…' Why did Jesus include that word BELIEVE? He was telling us what direction to go after we turn around. Proverbs 3:5-8 actually tells us why: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your ...
