Luke 3:16

Hello!
Sorry that I didn't blog yesterday, but it was a busy day. I got to spend some time with Ami and that's always a blessing. Keep her in your prayers; thanks.
As you can see by the title it's our third 3:16 and this time Luke. "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
The people who had been following John the Baptist were asking him if he was the Christ. Above is his answer. I think that it's interesting that he also mentions the Holy Spirit. John was baptizing a repentance baptism, but he clearly understood that when the Holy Spirit came, it would be from Christ's sending Him and that the baptism that He would bring would be different than John's.
Look also at verse 17: "His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." What he states is pretty dramatic. One of the Holy Spirits jobs will be to separate the believer's from the non-believer's. We who believe are the wheat, the chaff is the non believer.
So, what do you take away from these verses today? Do you see that the Lord Jesus Christ was prophesied by John and that part of the Trinity is proclaimed in verse 16? The work of the Holy Spirit, at least part of His role is laid out in 17.
How will you apply what you've learned today? Does it strengthen your faith to know that God will separate the believer from non and that they will burn up in an unquenchable fire? Everyone who does not believe, has been your enemy, God's justice will take care of, in His time. Remember that He is righteous and knows peoples' hearts and He works His justice and mercy according to that perfection.
I'm really glad that the Holy Spirit is here to work His will in my life as I surrender to Him. His will is perfect, mine is not.

A kernel of wheat,
Sandy