December 13
“See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.” Malachi 3:1
“And the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John…. He will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” Luke 1:13-17
“The child grew up and became spiritually strong and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” Luke 1:80
The son that Elizabeth was carrying was John the Baptist. John was the last of the prophets and perhaps the greatest prophet because he had the privilege of being alive when the Messiah came. He takes on the role of Elijah preparing the way for the Lord. He was sent from God as a witness to Jesus Christ. The entire purpose of John’s life was to point people to Jesus, and He accepted that role humbly and courageously. At every opportunity, he exalted Jesus. There are several lessons we can learn from the life of John:
1. John was bold and courageous. He was never afraid to speak his mind. He called the religious leaders a “brood of vipers,” and he rebuked Herod because of his marriage to his brother’s wife and other evil things he had done. He did not shy away from speaking truth even when the cost was high. He was put in prison for calling out Herod and it eventually cost him his life. There are times when it is important for us to speak out boldly as well. We are called to proclaim truth and be salt and light in a dark and dying world. This is not always easy. Calling out sin and refusing to accept the lies and deception in the world may cost us relationships, status and financial security, but we are called to do so courageously and unwaveringly.
2. John was humble. He was a local celebrity. He had his own disciples and people were coming from all around to be baptized by him. Even the respected officials were coming to hear him. It would have been easy for this to go to his head. But John did not draw attention to himself. He told the Jewish authorities that he was not the Christ. He told his disciples that One was coming after him and that he was not even worthy to untie His sandals. And when his disciples left him to follow Jesus, he accepted and encouraged them to do so. His humility is evident in John 3:30 when he says, “He must become greater; I must become less.” We can learn much from John as we attempt to point people to Jesus humbly exalting Him and taking all attention off of us.
As we look to the new year, let us pray for humility and courage to point people to Jesus and exalt Him at every opportunity.
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