Somehow, I cannot picture John the Baptist as a multitasker. I don’t imagine he was smooth at dinner parties. I don’t reckon he cared much for distractions. He strikes me as someone who knew the one thing he was about, and he was deeply invested in that one thing. He was called to prepare the way of the Lord (Matthew 3:3), and by the grace of God, he was able to go about his business with that singular focus.
The life of John the Baptist is such a brilliant reminder to bring us back to the one thing we are about. And I don’t mean writing that novel, or going on a trip, or even perfecting our relationships. I’m talking about the one thing we are all, first and foremost, supposed to be about: the person of Jesus Christ.
John fixed his sights wholly upon proclaiming the coming kingdom. His wilderness living was not just a weird lifestyle choice, but an unbending commitment to prayer and the Word of God. His devotion to Christ and His kingdom are particularly evident in two defining features of John’s life, and these two features should drive us to the same wholehearted seeking of God’s kingdom.
First, John’s humility provokes us to bend our knees before the lordship of Christ. John was the greater Elijah, indeed, and according to Jesus, John was the greatest man to have yet walked the earth (Matthew 11:11). Yet John’s chief calling was to point the way to Christ who would bring the kingdom of heaven along with Him. Though John himself was the greatest of the prophets, he did not yield to the temptation of pride. Instead, he declared to his followers:
“I baptize you with water for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I.
I am not worthy to remove his sandals.
He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
John further displayed this kind of humility when his own disciples began to abandon him to follow after Jesus, acknowledging: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). If John, the greatest of the prophets, so readily yielded up everything to Christ, how much more ought we do the same? The humility of John the Baptist is a reminder of the greatness of Christ.
Second, John’s courage provokes us to honor the lordship of Christ in faith-filled obedience. John did not hesitate to proclaim the gospel. His cry was continual: “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Matthew 3:2). He offended the selfish pride in the hearts of the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling out their sin and declaring that they, too, must bow the knee to the true Lord of heaven and earth (vv.7–10).
He declares the same thing to us: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come! He proclaimed this message of the gospel—both its condemnation of sin, and its offer of salvation—even in the face of death. He called sin, sin, a thing we are often hesitant to do in this day and age. And he boldly proclaimed Christ as both Lord and Savior. Such courage only comes from knowing that Christ is Lord over all, and therefore, we need not fear the powers of earth. Such courage only comes from knowing that Christ is the Lamb of God, and therefore, we rest secure in the salvation He has purchased.
Amen! Thank God for his word! I love him so!
SARAH D and TAYLOR: I praise the Lord with you for the courage and words he gave each of you to approach this volatile topic of racial reconciliation. To have the heart set on the biblical worldview of reconciliation includes the truth that whether the oppressor or the oppressed, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. And what hope we have that Jesus is the Lord, Light, the Healer for all our brokenness. I pray that as each of us continue on this journey in the many broken places in this world, we will be like John the Baptist who pointed others to Jesus, saying, “He must increase and I must decrease.” May the Lord grant each of us courage and boldness to share the gospel with a single-mindedness in which we are not afraid of offending the selfish pride of others. I know I need that prayer daily!
I’ve always loved John the Baptist and his hippie-esque ways. Off the beaten path, probably looked at as a little odd by other prophets/the disciples/other believers, but a fierce and crucial part of the Gospel non the less. God uses anyone and everyone!
In my supplemental material today I learned something neat. In Matthew 11:5, Jesus says “…and the poor are told good news.” This could be a quote from Isaiah 61. In Isaiah 61, Isaiah also says “…and proclaim liberty to the captives.” Jesus doesn’t share this part of the prophecy with John. It’s possible Jesus was telling John that John would remain in prison, because John would have recognized that prophesy and noticed the absence of the the “liberty” part.
I have to share this. Yesterday could’ve been the day for my son and I. Yesterday in the blink of the eye we could’ve been with Jesus. But just as my son said “mom it wasn’t our time yet“. My son and I were in a pretty bad automobile accident. A big truck ran a red light while we were attempting a left turn on a green light. She ran into us pretty hard causing us to spin in a 180 degree turn. Unfortunately my car is totaled. It was an old car. But thankfully my son and I were able to get out of the car with only bumps and bruises and some soreness today. Our time is not done here yet. Please pray that everything gets all worked out as I am now in need of a new car. Today’s DEVOTION: My salvation and your salvation is secure thankful for people like John the Baptist go out and prepare away. It reminds me how sometimes we share the gospel and maybe they do not get saved at that moment but maybe later on someone else comes along and continues to share the gospel and something clicks and this person is saved! God is good.
Wow!! How amazing God is! I’m so happy you and your son are okay!
Thankful u and ur son weren’t badly injured in the accident! God is Good!
Thank you for the prayers yesterday!! Our conversation with our campus pastor went well, he was very open and willing to take action against racism at our school. Our school isn’t perfect, but praying that it would reflect Christ alone more and more, and that when people talk about Liberty, they would see the heart of Jesus.
❤️
May we also say, “He must increase and I must decrease.”