An omitted verse and reflection on my role in the kingdom today

Weekday Posts
Written By Dean Collins

By Dean Collins

It was inadvertent, and it happens from time to time. But I thought about it this time more than the others because of the omission.

Every morning as I read Scripture I use YouVersion, which is a digital Bible app. When I read each day’s chapters, I highlight the ones that catch my mind, make me curious, or strike me as something I am to write about. Then I cut and paste the verses into a document before coming back to the selected verses to pray, ponder, and sometimes do further research before I write.

This morning the first three verses of Matthew 3 caught my eye, and I did my usual cut-and-paste. But when I got back to the document to think and pray, I had unintentionally left out verse 2. I didn’t think much about it until I noticed the verse I left out: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” At first I laughed at my omission, but then I paused to consider: Is there something I need to repent of? Do I live in a way that suggests that the kingdom of Heaven is real, so real that my life consistently aligns with the Lord’s Prayer that things be done here, in me, as they are done in Heaven?

Bringing meaning

I imagine I am not alone in being so familiar with so many Bible passages that I breeze through them in reading and do not linger long enough for the Holy Spirit to bring meaning, correction, insight, or repentance. As I thought more about this, I came to this conclusion: More is not always better when it comes to Scripture. I do not want to discourage anyone from reading the Bible often. But I do want to challenge myself and you, too, to consider taking one or two other steps when reading Scripture.

First, we might consider a short prayer to invite the Holy Spirit to guide us as we read. Of course, God is present in his Word, but an invitation for him to be with us as we read might increase our attention to what we are reading.

Second we might ask ourselves a few questions after we read:

1) Is there something I have never noticed before about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in what I read today?
2) Is there something I have never noticed before that might change what I have always thought or believed?
3) Did God’s Word reveal a need for repentance and correction?

Preparing hearts

Centuries before the time of John the Baptist, the prophet Isaiah said, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for the Lord.’” In Matthew’s Gospel, we discover that John the Baptist is the very one who would literally prepare the hearts of his generation to hear and see the Savior of the world.

Isaiah made this prophecy at the time of despair and during the exile of God’s people. Amid despair, Isaiah 40 brought hope and light announcing that God was moving and had not forgotten his promises.

John the Baptist also spoke to a people filled with despair and uncertainty. It had been nearly 400 years since the last prophet spoke. Rome was oppressing the Jewish people. And in the midst of difficult times, John the Baptist fulfilled his mission preparing the way for the Lord and calling everyone to repentance.

Reflecting the kingdom

Reading Isaiah 40 and Matthew 3 brought me to consider how we might also be called to repent of the inattention we have given to preparing the way for the Lord in our generation. Do I demonstrate with my words and actions that I believe Jesus is present in my life? Do our actions and activities reflect the kingdom of God so that all others see Christ at work in us? Do we live in ways that others can see we have confidence that Jesus is coming again to renew and restore all things?

Answering the questions that come to mind as we read and pray does in fact call us to repent. And repentance will lead us to refocus our time, our purpose, and how we use our resources so that as ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom we can spread the good news of Jesus.

Father, thank you for your powerful and living Word that calls us to repentance. Forgive us for the many times we have forgotten the mission you have given us to go and make disciples. Correct our thinking and our behavior so we might be used today to announce the good news of Jesus to someone near us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3; ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭1‬-‭31‬‬ ‭ESV

Dean Collins

Pastor, campus minister, counselor, corporate employee, Fortune 500 consultant, college president—Dean brings a wide range of experiences and perspectives to his daily walk with God’s Word. 

In 1979 he founded Auburn Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational campus ministry that still thrives today. In 1989 he founded and became executive director for New Directions Counseling Center, a service that grew to include several locations and counselors. In 1996 he became vice president of human resources for the CheckFree Corporation (3,000 employees) till founding DC Consulting in 1999. He continues part-time service with that company, offering executive leadership coaching, organizational effectiveness advice, and help with optimizing business relationships.

His latest pursuit, president of Point University since 2006 (interim president 2006-2009), has seen the college grow in enrollment, curriculum, physical campus, and athletic offerings. He led the school’s 2012 name change and relocation from Atlanta Christian College, East Point, Georgia, to Point University in West Point, Georgia. Meanwhile, he serves as board member or active volunteer with several nonprofits addressing issues ranging from global immunization to local government and education. 

He lives in Lanett, Alabama, with his wife, Penny. He has four children (two married) and five grandchildren. He plays the guitar, likes to cook, and enjoys getting outdoors, often on a nearby golf course. 

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