December 11, 2011
Luke 3:8
"Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our Father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones."
I haven't been keeping up with my IBS's lately, and have been finding it difficult to do so. I've been finding it difficult to do many things as I've been here on the mission field in Costa Rica. I have a hard time communicating with people back home(limited internet and calling time or service), helping my sister plan for her wedding in June, buying Christmas gifts for my new loved ones here, and just plain balancing living with the daily workload (How's that for a glimpse into my new life, hey?). While sitting in the cool, fresh air this morning, fellowshipping with my Father, and reading the gospel of Luke, I read this verse in chapter three. When I first read the verse, the very last part of it stood out to me, but after reading it and milling it over multiple times, the whole thing tugged on my "heartstrings". Firstly, the beginning, "bear fruits worthy of repentance.." A command, through John, from God, to us. To always be bearing fruit in our daily walks with the Father, and for that fruit to be worthy of repentance.. Worthy of repentance. What a concept. I usually combine this with meaning that there is something done wrong that needs to be acknowledged and repented for, yet John says.. bear fruit? Bearing fruit that is rotten and bad and harmful? No, here he must mean fruit that is worthy of bringing to the Father. When the fruit we bear, the things we do, the thoughts we think and the words we say are able to be worthy to be placed at the feet of Jesus and when we are worthy to hear the words, "Well done my good and faithful servant". Then, there are fruits worthy of repentance.The evidence of my life in Christ laid at the foot of His throne.
The second part, "do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our Father.'" stands out to me as a rebuke. "Don't use your forefather's name as an excuse to continue with what you've been doing. Don't say that to let yourselves off the hook as having to do anything worthy of God's praise because your forefather was "holy" enough to make up for the rest of you.." We have no excuse. Just as we have had Abraham, and Noah, men who followed God with their lives as our ancestors, we also are sons of Adam, the one who led all men to fall. We have no excuse to use such as "I am a Christian, therefore I believe Christ has saved me from my sin, and I can continue to live in it". This is not so. We have no excuse, and just as John preached, so we shall live the life that is void of excuses, void of reasons to not do our Father's will.
The last part really enforces the inability to use excuses while also emphasizing the real power of our true Lord and Savior. "For I say to you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones.." God really has the power to do anything. He can bring light to the darkness, give the dead life, make the lame walk, and the blind see. Is there anything He cannot do? He doesn't need us to fulfill what He desires to be done on Earth, after all, He established the earth, the Heavens and everything in between... But He chooses to use us. He CHOOSES to not make His children out of the rocks of the earth, and use US instead.. Sinners, downtrodden, constantly failing Him and turning our backs on His beautiful gift of grace and mercy.
I am determined to finish the book loco amor by Francis Chan while I am here, in the next couple weeks, and also to reach out and invite someone new to Calvary Chapel Villarreal, to spread the good news of Christ, without using excuse that I can't do it, because my God, will use me. He will use me, to create His children instead of instead using stones.
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