Luke 3:10-14
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Recall our last passage in which John issues a straightforward message to the people coming to him in the wilderness. Then read Luke 3:10-14 noticing the response of the people.
Repentance is more than the acknowledgment of sin. It is possible to name the ways we have strayed from God’s path and even be consumed with regret without ever doing anything about it. When we confess, we first recognize and profess the ways our wrong thoughts and actions have harmed us and others. But if we stop there and simply feel guilty about our wrongdoings, it is not only unhelpful, it causes more harm.
In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, he addresses the scathing tone of his first letter in which he called out the sins of the whole faith community. Take some time to contemplate Paul’s words about true repentance:
“…I am glad I sent [the first letter], not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Read Luke 3:10-14 again.
When the desperate people who have recognized the error of their ways ask John what they should do, he doesn’t tell them to beat themselves up or crawl through gravel to show that they are sorry. He tells them to “turn around” and go a different way – God’s way.
If they have harmed others through their greed, John tells them to be generous. If they have stretched the truth for their own benefit, John tells them to be honest. And if they have oppressed and taken advantage of others for their personal gain, John tells them to stop and instead practice being content.
John indicates that stopping the harmful behavior is only half of the solution. A new way of behaving is necessary for true repentance.
For the final moments of your time today, bring any wrongdoings and rebellion of which you are aware to God in prayer, and then ask the Holy Spirit to show you a new way of behaving. Stay with this for a while.
What have you heard from Jesus today?
How do you plan to follow through?
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The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
