“KEEP THE FAITH”. Faith in what? Faith in whom? Faith for what? Those are the questions that need to be answered. As we approach the celebration of one of the most important events in the history of mankind, we need to bring events in our lives, in our Nation, and in our world into proper focus. While our hope for life after death does not rest in the birth of a baby, but in an empty tomb, the empty tomb would have never happened if the former had not taken place. Where God became man and lived among us, took upon himself the sins of the world, being the perfect sacrifice for our sins, this alone has provided us the hope of life after death through our faith in Christ.
In our blog from last week, we referenced events in our Nation that have brought doubt upon our current National leaders. We have been lied to about drones, about the health of the current occupant of the White House, about government secrets that have been hidden from our citizens for years and decades to protect the nefarious and hold them harmless from justice. Faith in our current National leaders has been shaken by promises made and promised broken.
We have often referenced Holy Scripture as a guidepost to a better way to live, a better way to act, a better way to talk, a better way to secure faith and hope for life after physical death. We continue that theme today. If we were all angels, we would have no need for man’s laws. But we are not angels, and we struggle with evil within our Nation and world today, and how it infects our lives often in subtle ways, and how it tries to reshape our faith, whittle it down, make it weaker, and make us more susceptible to a loss of eternal hope.
When John the Baptist came preaching repentance, many came to hear him speak and to be baptized by him. Priests and Levites came to him, sent by the Pharisees, to inquire of his purpose and bona fides. They were weak in faith but strong in pomp and ceremony. They reveled in the attention and adoration from others. John was sharp with his criticism. He said, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance . . .” (Luke 3:7-8.) But they were not the only ones who needed refinements in their faith. John gave several examples following that statement, clarifications to the types of “fruit” needed. He also spoke to the common man, to the tax-gatherers, and even to the soldiers (verses 11-14). “Fruit” spoken of by John can be expressed in many ways, not just by the acts themselves, but more importantly by the internal attitudes that drive the “fruit” of repentance. Galatians 5: 22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control . . .”
As we approach Christmas, let us all be mindful of how dependent our faith is upon the “fruit” we bear. It is not just our FREEDOM and LIBERTY that depend upon our words and actions, but it is the FREEDOM and LIBERTY of all with whom we come in contact. Our faith will grow and will be manifested in the lives of others when we practice the application of our “fruit”. Maybe we can summarize it with one simple statement.
THE GREATEST GIFT IS ONE THAT CANNOT BE REPAID.