It was on this day, in 1941, that aviator, Charles Lindbergh, gave a political speech that was considered by many to be anti-Semitic. During this infamous speech he said:
“Large Jewish ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio and our government constitute a great danger to our country.”
Lindbergh’s trans-Atlantic flight, in 1927, had propelled him into the world’s spotlight and solidified his position, in history, as an American icon. In 1941, “Lucky Lindy” was using that notoriety to urge Americans to resist getting involved in the European conflict. He, along with many others, believed that Britain, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Jews were trying to push America into the coming war. Before the war, Lindbergh was quite sympathetic to Hitler and the Nazis. In fact, he once received a medal from Hermann Goering, personally, which might help to explain his anti-Jewish sentiments. In later years, Lindbergh tried to reverse the ill effects of this political position, succeeding to some degree — today, he is still regarded as an American hero.
So, my point is this: today’s culture lauds and reveres certain kinds of people, bestowing upon them the title of “hero” or “icon” quite liberally. But what do we really know about these people whom we elevate to such a degree of veneration? Do we truly know about their character? In this day and age, does any one even care about character any more? In 1927, Lindbergh seemed to be the epitome of courage and virtue. Only later did people discover what he truly harbored in his heart. This is an important issue for believers to contemplate because Yeshua made it clear that we are to examine a person’s fruit, not their talent, in order to know what kind of a person they really are.
“Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” (Matthew 7: 16-20)
In other words, we shouldn’t judge or elevate someone to prominence based solely on their gifts and talents. We must examine their virtues, their character and their commitment to truth and righteousness. We must examine the type of fruit they produce in their life, because once you know what the fruit is, you know what seed is in the heart of that person. The fruit they bear will reflect what is truly in their heart.
In today’s world, too many people focus on things that glitter and sparkle but, as the old saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold.” Those things that can be trusted and that stand the test of time are, very often, things that do not appeal to the eye and our carnal inclinations. Eternal values are those things that appeal to the heart. So let our prayer, today, be that our heart is filled with truth, purity and righteousness. If these values are in our heart, then we will produce good fruit in our lives and bring glory unto our Father in Heaven.
Shalom.
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