Life not Lineage

When John the Baptist spoke to the Jews of his day he warned them not to rely on their racial heritage to get them into good grace with God. Check it out in Luke 3:8,9. “So then the people asked him, saying, ‘what shall we do?’” Then John launches into issues of justice. They would have known the biblical injunction to “do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” He tells the person who has more than enough to share with those in need. He tells the tax collector to not collect any more taxes than required. He tells the soldiers to stop intimidating people; to be content with their wages.
Us Christians are not much different then the Jews of John’s time are we? We have just changed the wording a bit. Now, instead of looking to racial privilege we are puffed up with pride because we have “said the prayer.” Now we have “Jesus in our heart.” We think that this somehow gives us a free ticket into heaven. Here’s a question for you: what would John the Baptist say to Christians today?
This causes me to ask questions of myself. Like, how can I do justice in the context of my life? It really is not such a stretch to think of ways that I can do justice in my job; in the arts, in my family, in my church. When John the Baptist told the people what they should do, he began right where they were in the context of their life. While I would love to go to other countries and preach the gospel and feed the hungry I realize that I am responsible for where I am right now; the life I live right now.
One thing I have noticed about the way God works. He doesn’t often convict me based on the grand ideas that I have about serving Him. In some ways it is easier for me to comfort myself by thinking about these things and saying that they are just out of my reach anyway. The Holy Spirit, though, puts his probing finger right on the spot where I am today in this very moment.
Where are you? It is the question God asked Adam just after he took the fruit from the forbidden tree. It was not as if God didn’t know Adam’s geographical location, God was asking him, just as he is asking us today: Where are you in your life? Where are you in your heart? Start there. Meet God there. Allow Him to speak to you right now.  Go ahead, ask him, “What shall I do?”