Daily Encouragement for the Family of God
3 January 2025
Reading From Matthew 3
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” —Matthew 3:8, 11-12
John the Baptist is one of my favorite people found in the biblical narrative. What an eccentric figure! He dressed in camel hair and ate locusts and honey. John spoke truth to power. A bold and courageous prophet of God, he was also a man of integrity.
The message that John brought to the people focused on having genuine faith and repentance in order to pave the way for the ministry of Jesus and His New Covenant. This would be a deeper fulfillment of the first in which the blood of the Lamb of God would cleanse the hearts of those who would believe and receive and the Spirit of God would actually take up residence in the believer’s life.
This doctrine of authenticity was in stark contrast to the following of the Law modeled by the Pharisees and Sadducees who focused on only the external appearance of righteousness rather than a definite, real change of heart. True belief in Jesus, confession of sin and a genuine change of mind and direction about sin leads to the miracle of the new birth experience.
The Holy Spirit spiritually applies the blood of Jesus to that person’s heart and dwells within them, making their body a temple of the Living, Loving God. As a believer chooses the ways of God over doing life their own way, Jesus is made Lord of their life and the Holy Spirit works in them and through them to bear good, quality spiritual fruit in their lives.
“God, thank You for bringing new life to me. Help me to walk in the newness of life and share Your love and message with others. Make us into real, honest Christians who do Your will upon the Earth. Remove any pretense and hypocrisy from our lives. Empower us with Your Spirit to fulfill the Great Commandment, the Great Commission and to live by Your Golden Rule. In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray, Amen.”
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
—Galatians 5:19-26
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
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