Devotions

I'm doing my devotions on blogspot now cause it's the best way that works for me at the moment :)
I'm attempting to read the bible back to back at the moment and I've been at it for about 4 months now. At this rate it'll take me about 2 years or so becuase im reading about 2 chapters a day. the plan is to read through 1 old testament and 1 new testament book each day

Here's a passage from Matthew 3 that I was reading today

"⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 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. 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.
¹¹ “I baptize you with^[b] 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^[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² 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.”

It's interesting from this passage that John the baptist described the Pharisees as a "brood of vipers". The pharisees were people that the bible describes as hypocrites; not because they fell short of the very laws which they taught, but because they didn't truly believe what they were teaching. They taught the gospel of Jesus yet had no love inside their hearts. They were too blinded by legalism to see the crux of the gospel. I think of that passage where Jesus healed a sick man on the Sabbath, yet they criticized him, despite a man's life being transformed.
He goes on to say in verse 8 that their area of lack was repentance. Let's be honest and admit that we are at times like the Pharisees too, but the key as John points out is repentance, which they did not exhibit.

Verse 10 is an absolutely critical verse that is a core principle of Christianity. The "fruit" that it refers to is the fruit of the spirit: 
(Galatians 5:22-23) "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."

Against such fruit there is no law of judgement and death. Are we producing this fruit in our life? I think the key is that we may struggle with certain of these areas, but is it growing and are we committing these flaws to god? The fruit may still be semi-mature, and not fully ripe, but it is critical that we are working on these areas of our life.

Verse 11 mentions that John the baptist baptizes people so they are able to repent. Later on in the chapter Jesus is baptised by John. You might wonder why Jesus had to be baptised if he is without sin. His baptism marked his presentation to israel (John 1:31) and a picture of his "baptism" on the cross when "all the waves and billows" of judgement were passed upon him (matt 20:22, Ps 42:7)

Verse 11 goes on to mention that God will baptise us with the Holy Spirit and fire. That is speaking of the other type of baptism of the spirit.

Application

What i've learnt from this passage is to keep my life in check to see if i am a tree that is producing fruit. Am i watering the tree by reading the bible abd spending time with jesus? Is the fruit growing? Is the harvest still producing fruit season after season?

Prayer: (TSP)

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of life and the gift of jesus. Without you there is no life. I pray that you would forgive me for the season in my life when i was not producing fruit and putting other priorities ahead of you. I ask that you will give me the discipline to keep this devotions up and also make real decisions and hard choices to follow you through my actions and words. In Jesus' name Amen!