Thursday 3 Nov 2022

November 3: Matthew 3:1-10

Key Verse: Matthew 3:6
Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the River Jordan.

Devotion:
The more I think about what John the Baptist was like, the more I get confused about him… I live in a world where I have clothes, shoes, a warm flat to live in… and yet John chose to live out in the desert next to the river so he would not be distracted by things in the cities… probably! You see, we don’t get to know the real reasons why John chose to live where he did other than he listened to God and obeyed Him!

What would your life be like if you stopped obeying the world and started obeying God? Mine would be a bit different to what it is now. Each time I have got close to the path God wants me to take, things go wrong with friends, family or my health. Each time I get a bit older and a bit more tired of fighting – but each time my resolve is stronger and I learn new ways of coping with life.

John must have learned how to live for God and how to share the gospel message. He learned how he could reach out to people and get them to turn away from the sin in their lives and when that happened he did not shy away from baptising people. There is nothing like a good baptism to show people the meaning of turning away from the old life and stepping into a new life with Christ.

Just how far we are willing to go will depend on our inner resolve and our willingness to listen to God’s instructions. Some of us will only just be able to do one thing for God whilst others will be able to live their lives very close to how God wants them to live. Each one of us has to make a choice to invite Christ into our lives so we can learn more from Him and care less about the world. It is a very different life!

Points to Ponder:
How hard do you hold on to the world?

Are you willing to let go of one more thing for Christ?