December 5, 2008 (Matthew 3:1-12)

Sometimes the path of being God’s servant is just down right difficult. There’s no way around it. We find the pattern repeated over and over in the Bible…and yet, whenever I am called to suffer, you know what usually happens? I get upset with God…as though He had somehow reneged on a promise He never actually made in the first place.

Consider John the Baptist. Here’s a guy who’s totally devoted in his service to God. (In fact, Jesus would later say that there was never a greater person born than -- Matt. 11:11) And yet, God let His man eat bugs and wear camel’s hair for clothing. What?! No Armani? I thought God was love.

And consider the kind of preaching that John did. When the Pharisees & Sadducees (i.e., the super-religious folks of their day) came to hear John, what did he say?

You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. – Matt. 3:7-10

I’ve got to figure that sort of thing made John a bit unpopular, and earned him more than a few enemies. The bottom line is that it’s never been easy to be God’s servant. If we’re not making any snakes angry, that may be because they see us as just another snake. It will be a tragedy if they turn out to be right.

-- Justin