The Name Dropping Bomb

My husband and I were recently discussing how many college graduates we knew who had not landed the jobs they had hoped for as they entered the workforce. It is hard to comprehend the financial investment that had been made for them to end up in an entry-level retail position. In many cases, the idea that it is “who you know” did make the difference between those with jobs in their field of study and those just earning enough to cover rent.While “who you know” may still apply to the job market, I was reminded recently that God’s economy does not work that way. Yes, if we pull the “Jesus” card, it all boils down to whether or not we know Jesus. Who you know is very important in that regard… but that is not how it usually plays itself out in our culture, or even in the culture before Jesus began His ministry.Let me explain. I was recently in Matthew 3 in my priority time. Here, John the Baptist had shown up on the scene proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. Amazingly, Jews and Gentiles were coming to the wilderness from all over to respond to his message to “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” If you have read the Bible long, this is a familiar phrase and we tend to just nod and move on. But this was radical. Certainly, the Jews thought this was the Messiah that had been prophesied, but this was still a huge step of faith.Then the religious people arrive and honey-eating John the Baptist gives it to them straight. Among other things, he calls them a “brood of vipers” and warns them, “… do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” Not the sweetest of words as you greet an arriving guest! But within this stern warning for them, I see a stern warning for us.John the Baptist is telling them that they cannot rely on the fact that they are somehow related to Abraham. In the same way, none of us can rely on the faith of our husband, our parents, our children, or our grandparents. These Sadducees and Pharisees were also scholarly men who knew the Torah. Even this wealth of information would not be enough. It is a beautiful thing to grow up in a home filled with God’s truth. If you had the privilege of studying God’s Word and becoming a student of truth, it is a gift. But the gift of knowledge alone was not enough for the Pharisees and it is not enough for us.The bottom line is that it is not who or what you know, but what you do that will demonstrate the motive of your heart. Scripture memory is awesome, but it should turn into Scripture motion. Our religious talk or our religious ancestry does not fool God. He wants our heart and all of it!