7-9 When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.”
10 The crowd asked him, “Then what are we supposed to do?”
11 “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.”
12 Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He told them, “No more extortion—collect only what is required by law.”
14 Soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “No shakedowns, no blackmail—and be content with your rations.”
John got their attention. He broke through their blindness, pricked their conscience, penetrated their hearts so they asked, ”What then shall we do?”
It is a question we must ask too, for it is never enough to talk the talk; we must walk the walk. We must let God get to our hearts and change our way of being, or at best we are just sincere hypocrites, “honoring God with our lips while our hearts are far from God.”
And what is it we are to do?
We are to “To be authentic from the inside out”. How?
We are to “Share… be fair…be kind.”
That’s it! Simple yet profound.
A challenge which will lead us to repent often as we seek to live lives which
reflect something of God’s love.
"Three things in human
life are important.
The first is to be kind.
The second is to be kind.
And the third is to be kind."
Henry James
Prayer thought for the week: “Lord, keep me mindful that kindness is next
to Godliness. And being fair and sharing is too!
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