Good Fruit From Repentence

Greetings in the Lord!

Today's verse comes from Luke 3:7-9:
"John (the Baptist) said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentence. And do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For 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."

Upon hearing this some of the listeners got alarmed and asked what they needed to do. John told them very practical things, like; give to the poor, be honest with people, and don't lie. It seems that many in the crowd thought they were in right standing with God because they were "a child of Abraham"...not so, John tells them. Likewise it is a message for many Christians in the American church today. We cannot take our salvation for granted, instead we are told to: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentence." But how can we do that if we won't recognize our guilt in the first place? This is a season of purification, my friends. The Lord loves a humble and contrite heart.

Be blessed and be a blessing~

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