Fruit Inspectors

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” Matthew 3:8 (NLT)

Repentance means to “change”. True repentance then will result in a genuine, ongoing change in our way of life. There is a turning away from our “sin” and a turning towards “Jesus.” Too often though, this turning reverses itself. There is a turning away from Jesus and turning back towards sin which results in a perpetual turning in circles.

Real repentance isn’t a back and forth, on again-- off again kind of a lifestyle. The person who, in true sincerity, turns to Jesus may not always follow the straightest path but will keep moving in that same consistent direction toward Christ. Every day, their life gives the clear evidence of this change as they move further away from their old self and closer to their real Lord. Without this kind of proof, the assurance of their faith is in question for both the one who claims to have repented and those who try to discern if it is true.

The NIV translates this verse to say, “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Jesus will remark that a “good tree is known by its good fruit, and a bad tree is known by its bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:17) We are not judges; we are fruit-inspectors. How’s your fruit?

ONETHING: May I be living proof of repentance.

The habit of faith is largely based on repentance. It is our “faith” that results in a “change”. Our faith is the reason for the change. The change is the demonstration that our reasons are serious and heartfelt. We all have many areas in which we know we ought to do better, but it is only those areas in which we truly do change that we gain any credibility for our reasons. To say, “Jesus is Lord” is an expression of faith; to change so that I only do what my Lord Jesus commands me to do is to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Plus ONE: The fruit of repentance is changing to fully live the ChristLife.