Passage Read: Matthew 3-4
Meditation Verse: 3:8
Thought
Repentance isn't a one-time thing, but a beginning. The people were coming to John, confessing their sins and being symbolically cleansed in baptism, but that didn't mean anything unless they were genuinely turning away from the sins they were confessing! There may be one point at which they admitted their evil deeds, but if they went right back into them, then they didn't understand repentance. They needed to make changes that showed their repentance, they needed to bear fruit in keeping with their repentance. Whatever sins they were confessing at baptism, they needed to stop doing them and start doing what God required of them. That is real repentance, and that is what God expects of all of us.
Application
I haven't repented if I'm not determined to stop the sin and start the corresponding action that God desires. I haven't repented of going my own way if I'm not also determined to learn the ways of the Lord and do them. To be sure, I need to begin with repentance, I need to begin with confessing and renouncing my self-determination, but I need to continue with submitting to God and making whatever changes He requires. I need to surrender lordship over my own life and start following the Lord and learning His ways as my true Lord and Master.