Practicing what we preach is True! What a conviction. In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist uses the same words Jesus used when commissioning the twelve. I’ve written before on the words “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It’s here if you want to check it out.
Matthew 3:1-12
In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea [and] saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
“A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'”
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as your father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not ear good fruit will cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his had. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
Today I was convicted by the words “you brood of vipers” and at the same time I was encouraged by the words “he will clear his threshing floor.”
Practicing what you preach
Practice what you preach! That’s what came to me upon reading this Gospel. Anyone can say they are a follower of Christ or that they “believe” or “accept Jesus Christ.”(In John’s day it was “Abraham is our father.”) What are we doing about it though? Are we putting our money where our mouths are? If we’re followers, are we living as He lived?
great examples
So far this Advent, we’ve looked to Joseph and Mary as examples of how to live as true disciples of Christ. Today I urge you to look to John the Baptist. We’re told how he dressed and what he ate. That immediately made me think of our attachments. An attachment can be anything from something material, to a habit or even groups/people.
John was able to “go before the Lord” because he had no real attachments. His focus was preparing the way. Today we are called to do the same. Yet we fall short because of all the attachments that distract us from what really matters. What really matters is eternal life in union with God.
Mary is a powerful example of what it is to live humbly, Joseph a great symbol of obedience and strength and John an awesome example of what it means to live without attachments. How do we fare when it comes to humility, obedience, strong faith and detachment? See what I mean about being convicted when I read this Gospel?
Constantly working
Take courage though. We’re told He will clear His threshing floor. I took that to mean God will not give up on us no matter what. He will continue to work in us until we become what He created us to be. He’ll “clean us up” so to speak.
This became clearer to me when I read the story of creation in Genesis this morning. For the first time ever, it dawned on me that God is not satisfied with mediocre. He created the Earth and worked day after day to improve it. As a matter of fact, He’s still working on it.
Isn’t it comforting to think that He does the same for us? When He created us, like most artists, He had a vision of what He wanted. We fall short all the time but he’s just as determined to improve us as he is to improve the world.
God bless you!
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