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? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Matthew 3:7-8 NIV
It is interesting that both John the Baptist, and later Jesus, both had pretty strong and harsh words to say to the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were the religious people of the day- the church goers. Here he is rebuking them because they are making outward repentance but there isn't any change in action. They are just wanting the "get out of hell" card.
Unfortunately we today often have such a response. We are wanting to escape punishment but we aren't wanting to change our lives. Rather than really seeking God and wanting the truth only, we are often just looking for whatever will relieve our pain or sooth our guilt.
We want God but not if it means being thought of as weird or changing our habits. We want to fit in and love the entertainments and many pleasures of the world.
But God had called us to something different. He has called us to not love the world and to not be of the world.
Help me Lord Jesus to love you with all of my heart and to forsake all others. Help me to bear fruit in keeping with repentance!
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