Good Morning Friends,
“But when John saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of
vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping
with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, “We have Abraham
as our father.” I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children
for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that
does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’”
(Matthew 3:7-10)
Jesus is the great dividing place of life. What
a person does with Jesus and His message will profoundly impact his life here
in this world, as well as for all eternity.
John the Baptist was a strange man. He dressed
funny. He had a funny diet. He lived in a funny place -- the wilderness. But
his message was clear and straight-forward. He was calling people to a changed
life.
Many people responded positively to John’s message
and spiritual renewal came to Israel. People heard John’s message, came to him
for baptism, and their lives were not the same afterward. But there were also curious
people who came to John. These people weren’t really interested in hearing
John’s message, they just wondered what he was about and wanted to see for
themselves his impact upon other people. They heard the message, but they did
not respond to it. They left with no change in their lives.
The message of Jesus is not to be a curiosity
point. It’s not a message meant only for intellectual stimulation. It is meant
to be life-changing! It will be if we respond to it in faith.
His, by Grace, Steve
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