Day 14 - Luke 3:1-9

1 Our story continues 15 years after Tiberius Caesar had begun his reign over the empire. Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod ruled Galilee, his brother Philip ruled Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruled Abilene.

2 In Jerusalem Annas and Caiaphas were high priests in the temple. And in those days, out in the wilderness, John (son of Zacharias) received a message from God.

3 John brought this divine message to all those who came to the Jordan River. He preached that people should be ritually cleansed through baptism as an expression of changed lives for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As Isaiah the prophet had said,

A solitary voice is calling:
“Go into the wilderness;
    prepare the road for the Eternal One’s journey.
In the desert, repair and straighten
    every mile of our True God’s highway.
5 Every low place will be lifted
    and every high mountain,
    every hill will be humbled;
The crooked road will be straightened out
    and rough places ironed out smooth;
6 Then the radiant glory of the Eternal One will be revealed.
    All flesh together will take it in.”

7 In fulfillment of those words, crowds streamed out from the villages and towns to be baptized by John at the Jordan.

John the Baptist: You bunch of venomous snakes! Who told you that you could escape God’s coming wrath? 8 Don’t just talk of turning to God; you’d better bear the authentic fruit of a changed life. Don’t take pride in your religious heritage, saying, “We have Abraham for our father!” Listen—God could turn these rocks into children of Abraham!

9 God wants you to bear fruit! If you don’t produce good fruit, then you’ll be chopped down like a fruitless tree and made into firewood. God’s ax is taking aim and ready to swing!



Terrie's Comments:
God calls us to be authentic in our relationship with Him!  He doesn't want us to just believe that He exists but to also change our lives from one lived only for our selfish ambitions to a life lived to fulfill the work of Heaven.  He wants us to bear fruit through our intimate relationship with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.



Tori's Comments:
"authentic".... that means really caring about a relationship with God instead of just pretending you do. This was something I was caught up in as a teenager, thinking faking it was good enough sometimes. But in reality, I was the one missing out! A relationship with God is a blessing, not a burden, where we can finally receive rest <3 He's the one who never leaves!






We have a praise music list that we add to on a regular basis. You can find the link to it in the right hand column of this blog or by scrolling to the bottom of this page. Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!