TURN TO GOD
Opening Prayer
Spirit of God, give me new understanding in what you say to me in your Word today. Help me to turn my understanding into action.
Read LUKE 13:1-9
Repent or Perish
13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
You may well be reading this on Monday morning. Come to Jesus today and bring your week ahead to him. Where do you need his help, his healing, his forgiveness?The main focus of this passage is set out in verses 3 and 5: we must repent and turn to God.
Consider God as a master gardener, as he is in other parts of the Bible (e.g., John 15:1-17): in verses 6-9, he is tending to his vineyard. He agrees to give his fig tree another year to see if it responds to some additional love and care—and if it doesn’t, it will be cut down.
God’s world is like the fig tree. Will it respond and grow according to God’s Word and direction, or will it perish?
Jesus is clear in verses 1-5: people don’t perish or experience particularly awful situations because they are worse than other people (see also John 9:2,3); there are no categories of sinners—we are all sinful and need God. And God is gracious, giving his fig tree an extra year to respond to his attentions (vs 8,9). How will we respond to his reaching out to us?
Apply
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks… let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe’ (Hebrews 12:25,28).
Closing prayer
Lord, show me where my heart and actions are not in tune with your will for me and lead me to repentance, even if this will not be the first time I’ve asked for forgiveness. I praise you, the God of second chances.
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