“What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes into the fire.”(Matthew 3:10 MSG)
The wild man from the desert was calling out the fake followers from Jerusalem. The Pharisees and Sadducees hadn’t come to the Jordan to change their lives. They came because a ritual bath in the river had started trending and they alone set the tone on Jewish society.
John the Baptist saw straight through them. With the same sort of spiritual sight our Savior displayed; John calls them snakes. He insists a life must grow and bloom to be considered Kingdom and Jesus will echo that same sentiment.
“A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard.” (Matthew 12:35 MSG)
Our lives need to produce something if they are truly Kingdom oriented. If there is no fruit on our vines or blossoms in our branches, if the Vine Tender can’t break us and find healthy, green pulp just under the surface, then something is wrong and we need His breath on our branches. If the people in our vicinity are blighted by our words, if our presence causes more hurt than growth, we need to pack the Vine Tender’s truth deep into our soil.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were inundated with God’s Word and yet all it produced was legalism and death. They came to John for baptizing yet they were unaffected by the Spirit that compelled him to preach.
My friend, we need both the Spirit and the Word if we are going to grow in God’s vineyard. Without the Word we get weird and without the Spirit we get legalistic. The blessing of Jesus is that He brought both: He is the Word and He sends His Spirit. Our lives finally move from deadwood to full blossoming when we allow ourselves to be transformed by both His Word and His Spirit.
“The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making.” (John 6:62 MSG)
Lord, we long to live. We want to grow and bloom and produce good fruit. We want to affect the folks around us with life and truth. Breathe on us today and speak to us. Bury Your word in the soil of our hearts and blow Your Spirit into our frames. Strengthen and animate us for Your Kingdom’s sake. Amen.