Passage Read: Luke 3-4
Meditation Verse: 3:10
Thought
John's message seems not very welcoming! He asks the crowds, "Who warned you to flee the wrath to come?" He was! Did he want people to come to him? Did he want people to be saved? He was supposed to be preparing a people for the Lord. And he was. Except he wasn't preparing a people who thought his message was good, he was preparing a people ready to change and be changed. Luke says he was preaching good news, and his message was repentance for forgiveness. He called people to turn away from their own ways, their evil ways, and turn to God and do what God considered right. It wasn't enough for people to admit they were bad and come for cleansing; they needed to change how they behaved and treated others. Neither did he say they were unable to change; he knew they could and called them to make good on it. He wasn't afraid of offending people; he was actually looking for those who asked this question, "What then must we do?" These were the ones closest to saving repentance and faith. The ones who changed their behavior in obedience to the Lord, these were the ones ready for Jesus, ready to learn from Him and follow in His ways. They were the ones ready to submit themselves to the Lord and do as He instructed.
Application
This is the question that shows the dawning of saving faith more than any other. When I or others recognize who God is and what He requires, that should lead me to this question, "What then must I do?" And the answer isn't some generic "believe and be saved." I am believing and need to know how this believing should be expressed in my life. Specifically what kind of things do I need to stop doing and what kind of things should I start doing. What does God require of me? How does He want me to live? It's literally, "How then should I change my life to live out my repentance and faith in Jesus?" The Gospel I believe and preach should lead me and others to this same question and prompt us to make the changes God desires.