Luke 3:8 (ESV)

8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

The true result of repentance should be evident in one’s life.  The fruits that display a life change are our words and deeds that we commit.  Faith should produce works that line up with our faith.  The Apostle James argued in his letter that faith without works is dead.  You cannot “DO” things and produce faith or earn it from God.  It either is or it isn’t.

Faith in God that He loves you, has forgiven you, and has filled you with the Holy Spirit is all that matters.  In this passage, Jesus is trying to get the Jews to see that being Jewish is not enough.  You were not born SAVED just because you can trace your lineage to Abraham.  It’s actually the opposite.  We are ALL born SINNERS.

You can’t get saved based on a resumé.  You need a referral from Jesus Himself.

Application:

Is a plant focused on producing fruits?  No.  It’s focus is reaching up towards the sunlight and reaching down towards a water source.  You can’t produce fruits if you don’t have good roots.  This 21 Days of prayer and fasting is designed to invite you to reach up to Jesus, the Light of the World, and down into the Water of the Word of God so that the Holy Spirit can produce the kind of spiritual fruits that only He can do.

Focus on your root and return to God and watch your Father prune the unnecessary so you can see the right kind of fruits in your life.