July 27, 2023
Passage Read: Luke 3-4
Meditation Verse: 3:18
Thought
This is John, preaching the "good news:" Repent! "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance!" And the crowds ask, what should we do, and he gives very specific advice for each kind of person who comes to him. And many come to him! He speaks of Jesus coming to winnow and gather His wheat into His barn, but burn up the chaff. And Luke calls this preaching the good news! If this is the biblical understanding of good news, I think a bunch of us have it wrong today!
Application
I need to adjust my gospel to make repentance a priority. Forgiveness is only for those who repent and change their ways, who walk in the Lord's ways. Anyone who claims to believe in Jesus but doesn't bother to change his life much is not forgiven. John didn't give vague platitudes but plain actions that describe the kind of change to be expected, that illustrate love for neighbors and faith in God in real ways.