Pray Thru the Bible

God Speaks

 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” ³ The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’”

⁴ John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. ⁶ And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? ⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ⁹ Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ¹⁰ Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

¹³ Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.

¹⁶ After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com

We Respond

Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 3. 

1. What does this chapter tell me about God?

2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?

Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.  

1. God sent John the Baptist to preach repentance and obedience to God and His ways, preparing the way for the Messiah. 

2. People need to repent and show evidence of that by how they live out their daily occupations.

Prayer

3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 3?  

Dear Father God, thank You for sending John the Baptist to proclaim the coming of Messiah and to call for repentance as preparation. May I and many others of Your adopted children also be voices in the wilderness. May changes in people’s lives bear evidence of true repentance. Although we are baptized with water, may Jesus baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Jesus, separate the wheat from the chaff. Jesus, please help me and others fulfill all righteousness as You did. Then we will hear deep in our souls (now and later in person in Heaven) the Father say, “This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” AMEN 

Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)

4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 3?

• I will seek out a pastor or a mature believer I trust to witness the repentance of my sins.
• I will look into being baptized as a believer in Christ. (If you haven’t been already.) 
• I will look for at least one opportunity to proclaim both Jesus’ first and second comings.
• I will ask the Lord what act(s) of righteousness He wants me to do today, then do it.

Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.