After His Own Heart

I finally was able to seize conviction and self-discipline to do quiet time last night after a strenuous day at work, with God’s infinite grace of course.

After a light dinner and tidying up, Warren and I retired to the bedroom, each on our favorite corners, to retreat to our own devotions.

For my own quiet time, I chose Matthew 3: 1-11, this is when John The Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ in Judea. After praying for guidance and wisdom, I went on to read the whole story twice, taking notes of important verses and keywords.

One of the most beautiful verses I saw in the whole context is verse 8 where John The Baptist was telling the Pharisees and Sadducees that they must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. For most of the whole context, this verse would have to be the one that popped out of the page for me.

In summary and to my understanding, Matthew 3:1-11’s message is the need for us to confess our sins and repent. However, all of this will be futile if there are no good works to back up our so-called repentance. While I was looking at all these, Sis. Vangie’s words came to mind, “the external is merely a manifestation of what is inside…”, right, of course, a repentant heart is true only if it manifests on the outside.

Other insights:

1. Verse 9: And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham’

John the Baptist again speaks of how powerful and almighty God is, how able He is to turn the dead into living if He wills it so (stones are lifeless, therefore dead).

2. Verse 11: I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

John the Baptist emphasizes on the holiness of Jesus Christ, how unworthy people are of Christ’s redemption. Even him who baptized all of those who gathered up to him from Judea and Jerusalem, according to him, is not worthy of untying Christ’s sandals. This is how wretched we are, so unworthy, so unfit, so filthy that we do not deserve grace and mercy.

3. Verse 10: 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 into the fire.

Every tree that does not produce good fruit means repentance that does not produce good works is false repentance and therefore is unworthy of salvation. It will remain dead, as it should.

My Reflections:

Where are my good works, are there any? Do I bear fruit in keeping with my repentance? Am I a tree that bears the choicest fruits worthy for God’s picking or am I just a tree that uselessly feeds on good soil, taking the place of other trees that could be of more use to God?

I am unworthy of salvation, of grace and of mercy. Yet, in my unworthiness and deadened condition, God still sent His Only Begotten Son to redeem me from the eternal pits of damnation. This is the glory of God! Glory be to God, forever!

God’s power is beyond and beneath all things created in this world. Out of the dead He can breathe life, and if He can breathe life to the dead, then out of the living he can also turn without life… Such is his power and his might. Such is His holiness. Such is His glory.

Cast me to hell, O Lord God, should my repentance be untrue. As it should, as I deserve even before I was born into this world. Yes, cast me to damnation, should my repentance be made up of thin air or should it be likened to a tree that does not bear good fruit.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 10:27 am and is filed under Faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.