Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. Matthew 3:8 HCSB
I typically enjoy having a small garden in our backyard. Last year we had an over abundance of tomatoes. This year the tomatoes did not do well, but we had a good crop of okra. In the spring we select small plants from the nursery that we cultivate with the hope they will grow into larger plants. When we planted the okra, each plant was only about two inches tall, but by the end of the season the plants had grown to approximately five feet. I even had difficulty pulling them up at the end of season because their roots were so big. I planted okra and enjoyed the harvest. Naturally, I expected the okra plant to produce okra instead of tomatoes.
John the Baptist encouraged his listeners to live lives that reflected change. He challenged them to change their behavior. He was basically saying, “Prove by the way you live that you really have turned from your sins.” God looks beyond our religious activities and our words to see if our conduct backs up what we are saying. We will someday be judged by our actions.
Challenge: Do your actions speak louder than your words? What type of fruit are you producing?