August 23, 2010 Delicious Fruit

August 23
Delicious Fruit
Read Matthew 3 – 4

Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

YOU purchased a really good piece of fruit at the store this morning. You took it home, ate it and said, “I need to tell my friends how good this is!”

So you got on the phone, Facebook and email to tell your favorite people, “Get to the store. The fruit is wonderful!”

One of Scripture’s consistent images shows us the work in God’s kingdom is a fruit-producing enterprise. Jesus’ parables regarding workers in vineyards, the fruits of the Spirit, and first-fruits of the ground offered to God are some of the ways God helps us understand fruitful kingdom work.

This teaching and preaching in our verse today comes from John the Baptist to the Pharisees and Sadducees around him. Here is the “unlearned”, locust-eating, camel hair coat-wearing, desert-dwelling kingdom worker preaching to the educated teachers of the day.

He tells them to respond to the coming Kingdom. He commands them to get busy and produce fruit for the Kingdom. He knows they will be held accountable because they have been given much knowledge. They must make use of their fruit—the knowledge of God—to help people come to repentance.

What are you doing with your knowledge of God? One of the things about fruit—it spoils if you let it sit. Eat of the wonderful Spiritual fruit God has given to you. And wouldn’t it be good to tell others, “God is wonderful!”