Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Fruit - Matthew 3:8

By

Matthew 3:8 – Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance

How many times have you ever said, “I’m sorry?” If you are like me, that number is very high. We say the words, but do we mean it? We express sorrow, but does it make us change our behavior? Repentance is the real goal, not sorrow.

Repentance is changing direction or turning away from a pattern of behavior. Sorrow is only a motivation for repentance, but it is a common one. If we sorrow over sin and repent, God forgives. The Bible tells us that indeed God desires penitent followers. A penitent man seeks God’s will and not their own.

The consequences of sin are known. Sadness, suffering and death await the unrepentant sinner. Therefore, John cried out for God’s people to Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. As the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord’s coming by calling for the people to turn away from sin to the truth and covenant of God.

Christ and the Apostles continued this basic message that rings true today. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! It is within your grasp by the grace of God. Just turn away from your worldly desires, submit your life to Christ, and bring forth works worthy of repentance. God’s longsuffering desire is for all to come to repentance.

Brothers and sisters, I implore you, I beg you, listen to the Lord and encourage others also. Repent and show Him the fruit of your love.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

By
One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...
Read more

Daily Devotion: An Important Question

By
In one of the great Psalms of thanksgiving, the writer asked a most pertinent question. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all of His benefits toward me” (Psalm 116:12) ? We may observe two elements in this question. The psalmist acknowledges having received many benefits, or blessings, at the hand of the Lord. For the believer, to be the receiver of blessings from the Lord is a fact beyond question. That is one facet of a proper perception of reality. However, for the unbeliever, or even for the nominal believer, such things come in the course of nature, or as a matter of deserving them. But to fail to see that such benefits and blessings come from the Lord is to lose touch with reality. The other element of the question is that the writer expresses a sense of obligation to the Lord and reveals a desire to do something in response to the amazing goodness of God to him. It is the reflex of the godly heart to desire to do something in response to the perceived go...
Read more