Thursday Theology

It's just three days into this current presidential administration and I am thinking that I need to reinforce some of the spiritual thoughts and ideas that keep me grounded. Maybe there will be something here that will help others, as well.

This morning I was reading in the third chapter of Matthew's Gospel. 
Just a reminder -- Matt 3 is prior to the teaching of Jesus. What we find here is the teaching of John the Baptist as he prepares the way for Jesus. Jesus will pick up where John leaves off, repeating some of the same lessons like -- Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Change how you think about heaven. It's here!)

Look at this from verses 7-10:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sudducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

It's worth noting that John doesn't say that trees that bear bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. He says trees that do not bear good fruit will be cut down and burned.

This passage always brings an image to my mind. Several winters back, we had a severe ice storm in the Ozarks. Most of the Bradford pear trees (known for being brittle) in our neighborhood were badly damaged, some nearly split in two and others that lost large branches under the weight of the ice. Several weeks later when most of the clean up was done, there were piles of small logs cut from the trunks, boughs, and branches stacked to dry as firewood. 
These beautiful ornamental pear trees that bear no fruit were ready to be thrown into the fire.

Look at the fruit.
As a follower of Jesus, if I produce no fruit, no evidence of my faith -- am I any better than someone that produces bad fruit or acts in opposition to the teaching of Jesus?
John taught (and later so does Jesus) that our faith must be an active faith. People should know we are Jesus followers by the way we treat others; by the way we love others.

It seems that in today's culture we are most focused on the things we oppose.
What if I focus on the things I am for instead?
What if I focus on bearing fruit consistent with what I believe about life, love, justice, grace, mercy, etc.?
What fruit (if any) am I producing?

Hmmm...?

John