But John intervened: "I’m
baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to
whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the
Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to
clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything
true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out
with the trash to be burned." John 3:16-17 (TM)
The fruit of a true relationship with Jesus is life-change. The change might happen slowly & organically – or it might happen in a spiritual whirlwind that makes a clean sweep of your life in the blink of an eye – but change will happen. Faith in Jesus results in His dramatic work in our lives – which will result in our work for the Kingdom. Faith without works is dead faith. Faith in Jesus is the ignition of "a kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out."
What has changed in me this year? What has Jesus swept clean in me? What trash in my life has been burned? What has His fire ignited in me? Can others see it?
But John intervened: "I’m
baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to
whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the
Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to
clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything
true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out
with the trash to be burned." John 3:16-17 (TM)
The fruit of a true relationship with Jesus is life-change. The change might happen slowly & organically – or it might happen in a spiritual whirlwind that makes a clean sweep of your life in the blink of an eye – but change will happen. Faith in Jesus results in His dramatic work in our lives – which will result in our work for the Kingdom. Faith without works is dead faith. Faith in Jesus is the ignition of "a kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out."
What has changed in me this year? What has Jesus swept clean in me? What trash in my life has been burned? What has His fire ignited in me? Can others see it?
