PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 3:7-12
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
I want to try something. I wonder if some are reading my reflections first. Try listening for the Lord in the passage first, and post your own comment. My comments are not meant to shape yours, but to let you see how the Spirit spoke to me. I would like to hear how the Spirit is speaking to you through the passage!
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
How do I know that the Spirit of God is working in me?
We need to look at what is happening inside of us.
God’s Spirit is ‘holy’, as opposed to an ‘unholy’ or ‘unclean’ spirit.
To be holy is to reflect the character of God… but what is God like?
Paul unpacks God’s character in his list of ‘good fruit’.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
This is what results when God is at work, the fruit of God’s holy Spirit in us.
The Spirit will work to burn away (fire) whatever does not reflect this fruit.
If I am open to the Spirit of God and Jesus, I will experience this burning.
I will feel conviction, sorrow for bad fruit, and a longing to change.
I will strive, with God’s help, to put bad fruit to death, and produce better fruit.
Every time I feel conviction and the desire to do better, the Spirit is working.
But John challenges me today too: am I surrendering myself to this good Spirit?
PRAYER
Lord, may Your Spirit continue to burn away the chaff and build up the good fruit in me. And may I cooperate with Your Spirit, and not resist the changes You want to make.
God requires of us not just pious words ..”I am sorry for my sins” but a changed lifestyle. Do my words and actions agree? “Faith without works is dead”
My first thought was to ask why is John so upset with the Pharisees and Sadducees for being there. “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” If that is the case, is that not good? These religious leaders and us included have to first realized we are sinful and have to flee from the coming wrath by accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord. If these Pharisees, Sadducees and myself included genuinely want to flee from the coming wrath, it was the right place for them to be so as to hear the message of Salvation. Knowing the rest of the story, I know that most of them were not there to flee from the coming wrath but just to see what was going on. John seem to know their right intention and this is why he was so upset. Now how about me? I ask myself the question ” Am I just checking Jesus out? Just see what he has to say? ” I know my action has to reflect what I hear and know the Holy Spirit helps me do so.
Scripture identifies the fruit well enough. Thinking more about what is the ‘chaff’ in my life that I keep hanging on to??
Good fruit.
As described in Galatians, those qualities must be seen in me. I must be like Christ unto them. Not my will but His be done. Christ Jesus living in me. I need to be GodStrong so that I can live SpiritLed walking in His SonShine every day living for Jesus.
The Fruit of the Spirit’s not a watermelon
(What ‘cha yellin?)
If you want to be a watermelon
You might as well hear it.
You can’t be a Fruit of the Spirit.
‘Cause the Fruit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,
Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,
Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. That means He equips me with power to bear good fruit. May I continually lean on Him so that I can carry out His purposes for me and not be like chaff that is worthless and needs to be burned.