“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent for the kingdom heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:1-2 NIV)
Repentance is still the personal lifestyle and public message of the believer. As the return of Christ draws nearer, our desire for righteousness increases and repentance is an essential practice in becoming more like Jesus.
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8 NIV)
Repentance trims back the branches of our spiritual life. It cuts away the ugly, the unproductive, the ungodly. And trimming back diseased or dead wood makes way for new blooms and fruit. Repentance is a critical part in good fruit production.
“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 in to the fire.” (Matthew 3:10 NIV)
We either repent in small, manageable shearings or we risk losing our entire tree. Either way, a pruning is coming. It can be reasonable and productive or it can be absolute and fatal.
Sin is a blight that begins on our branches and unaddressed, it works it’s way down into our root system Everyone sins. True believers refuse to give way to to sin’s pervasive ways. They are unwilling to co-exist with blight on their branches. Repentant people recognize and confess their affliction frequently, they allow the Gardener to come close and lop off the offending limb for the sake of the tree’s overall health.
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30 NIV)
Lord, let us live alert to temptation and compromise, on our guard against the blight that seeks to inhabit our branches. Point it out and lop it off. Prune us as You see fit; even all the way back to a nub if that’s what needs to happen in order to produce good, godly fruit in the next season. We see Your Kingdom coming and we long to be a part of Your plan for Your people. Amen.