Fruit of Repentance Time

Fruit of Repentance

Time

When I was in grade school

There was a boy who loved to pick on me and mocked me as a Christian

Later on in life

When I was about 30, this person became a Christian and came to my church

His life was changed and we became best of friends and trust was restored

Now he lives in Oklahoma and I have not seen him in years

He is still my friend, but the important thing is, he is God’s friend

Living his life for Christ, and others are tasting the good fruit

Time

It takes time to see fruits of repentance

It also takes our forgiveness in hopes that a life will become fruitful

You and I may not benefit from the fruit of repentance

But we can rejoice when the fruits of repentance

Honors Christ and are tasted by others 

 

Time

 

I love fruit.

 

 Being in Florida for the winter,

I get to enjoy fruits there before those in Ohio.

 

While the snow is still on the ground in Ohio,

 strawberries are red in the fields of Florida.

 

I also love melons.

 

 I bought several melons in the month of March.

 

 But all of them were picked

before they were ripe.

 

It took days for them to sit and ripen

till the hard fruit softened and

you got the sweet taste.

 

Time…

 

There are some things you can’t rush.

 

I bought two melons and cut them up

and put them in the refrigerator.

 

They were hard and the flavor was not good.

 

I would take out the container each day and

taste a few bites, but with disappointment.

 

After about a week the sweet taste got better.

 

 But then I left to go back to Ohio before

I could tell if the fruit would get a good taste.

 

Fruit takes time to develop.

 

Think about John the Baptist’s words

 to the Pharisees and Sadducees,

 these were religious leaders.

 

He gave them strong warning and told them…

 

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Matthew 3:8

 

These leaders spent a lot of time,

many their whole lives, studying and

memorizing Scripture and spiritual matters…

 

 Yet had no fruit.

 

Over time you can grow a tree or plant,

 but that does not mean it will produce fruit.

 

Have you ever had someone hurt you?

 

The person did something that

caused you to lose trust in them.

 

They might have said they were sorry,

 but you still did not have the

confidence to trust them.

 

Christ is clear He not only forgives sins…

 

 But told us to do the same.

 

In many of those cases Jesus saw their faith

and a physical healing took place in that person.

 

Jesus gave the person another chance.

 

In one case…

 

 Jesus healed a person with an infirmity he had lived

with for 38 years and could not get off his bed.

 

Jesus, after healing this person, gave a warning…

 

"See, you have been made well.

Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

John 5:14 NKJV     

 

We are to forgive others quickly,

 but the fruit of repentance takes time to mature.

 

Forgiveness is hope.

 

Hope that someday the sinner will

have truly repented and bear fruit.

 

When I was in grade school…

 

 There was a boy who loved to pick on me

and mocked me because I was a Christian.

 

Later on in life…

 

 When I was about 30, this person

became a Christian and came to my church.

 

His life was changed and we became best

 of friends and trust was restored.

 

Now he lives in Oklahoma and

I have not seen him in years.

 

He is still my friend, but the important thing

is he is God’s friend, living his life for

Christ, and others are tasting the good fruit.

 

Time…

 

It takes time to see fruits of repentance.

 

It also takes our forgiveness in hopes

that a life will become fruitful.

 

You and I may not benefit from the fruit of repentance...

 

 But we can rejoice when the fruits of repentance

 honors Christ and are tasted by others. 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Matthew 3:7-10 NIV

 

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.