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6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ” 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:6-8, 19-28 NIV Bible)
A blessed Monday for you, esteemed Reader. May the blessings of this week bring you peace and strength. May this time spent with God bring you healing, calm, and peace; that is my prayer for you.
When God has a plan, it is a marvelous plan. It is all according to His will, not ours. God's plan also follows God's timing, not ours. The trouble with modern society understanding the things of God is that many of us have been conditioned by many things, including our attention spans, our ability to reason out things, or to wait patiently for God's things. The Bible, especially the New Testament speaks of things from above, and things from here or "of the flesh," or "carnal" things. And Hollywood's themes and plots from popular stories make us believe that anything based on our expectations are not only possible, but demandable. We want, no, we demand a wonderful, orderly plot from Point A to Point Z in a logical, easy-to-understand manner. And the ending should be a happy one, with little to no pain involved, and all things going as per our wishes.
So, come with me as we explore God's plan in the life of a certain man named John. John was not a family name, and though he came from a priestly, almost royal family, his garb was far from Jerusalem chic; it was more Wilderness Outfitters, who specialized in making statements. And his meals, far from being catered, were not for the squeamish. "Grasshoppers anyone? No, they're not covered in chocolate, but we do have a honey glaze that will go just yummy with them. Local honey? No, this is straight from no-man's land!" His education was not from any formal institute of recognition. No Ivy League school here, maybe poison ivy school. And manners and etiquette? How about a heaping helping of boldness and frankness? Yet, he was sent from God. Need I say more?
John came as light into a world of darkness. He came fully loaded with God's truth that would defeat darkness, and his purpose was to all would come to faith. Now, John was an honest man, who never claimed anything of specialness about himself but certainly all about God. He came as the messenger for the One Israel had awaited for many years. His message began with him saying, quite freely, "I am not the Messiah, but I do know who He is!" He was asked, "Are you the Prophet?" Hmm, no. "Who are you then? We must have an answer for those who sent us. What can you say about yourself?" And John simply quoted Isaiah with a passage from him, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" Now the religious people were a bit adamant in asking about what he had been up to, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered honestly, "I baptize with water, but among you stand one you do know know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." And all of this took place at Bethany near the Jordan River, where John was baptizing people. This annoyed them because the ritual of baptism was reserved for the Gentiles, the nonJews, who desired to become Jews. This passage does not share what the other gospel said about the lines of people who presented themselves for baptism, nor does it mention the anger this caused among the same religious leaders who were quizzing John. But it does share how what John was doing was meeting a need. People felt the hurt of sin, and carried the guilt of sin, and eagerly gave that sin over to God for the relief and the blessing that comes with giving up sin and its burden to God. This was light breaking the darkness.
This is the season to turn the darkness over to God. Enough! cries our soul. And it should be enough that we turn it over to God and we let God do with it whatever He needs to, so that we can be free! What are the burdens you carry? What's still bringing darkness to your life? Many worry that what is under the Christmas tree is not enough; and we forget the greatest gifts are those who are still around the tree with us! We worry that that special someone will not appreciate the gift we presented to them, when in reality the gracious receiver knows the hands that shared the gift matter more, for those hands are attached to the heart that shares abundant love to them unlike the love others. Many worry that the monthly check may not cover the expenses of the gifts; troubling that we want the price tag to be high thinking that makes the impression better. I thank God I married a woman who one year received a candy cane as her gift and that was one of the most treasured and memorable gifts of her life. I looked more forward to the bags of candy, nuts, and fruit that my church in Kingsville gave to all who came to the Christmas service and program. Lord, lift our eyes and minds away from worry to worship! God is in charge and God is the Chief Gift Giver and His gift of Jesus matters more than anything that any department store or car dealership or mail order house can provide!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the example of John the Baptist, who humbly pointed others to Christ. Help us to embrace our roles in Your Kingdom with humility and dedication. May our lives reflect the light of Christ, and may we faithfully bear witness to His truth and love. Guide our steps as we seek to glorify You in all we do. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be light to others.
Receive my love and thankfulness to God for you! Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
