[Anglican Devotional 13 January 2024] Topic: A Voice For Christ
TOPIC: A Voice For Christ
READ: John 1: 19-28 (NKJV)
- Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
- He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
- And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
- Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
- He said: “I [am] ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” ‘ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
- Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
- And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
- John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
- “It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
- These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
THE MESSAGE:
Today, people lay claim to several things in order to appear important and relevant before men. They lay claim to titles, and work so hard to achieve certificates and qualifications. For many, the intention is to gain popularity, fame, recognition and respect from fellow men, and not necessarily to glorify Christ and add value to the Kingdom of God. Certificates, achievements, popularity and fame are not bad in themselves; but when we allow them to turn into tools through which we seek to satisfy our selfish desires for recognition and human accolades, they become bad.
There is much we can learn from John the Baptist. John was what every true believer ought to seek to be-only a voice, a pointer to the King! For him, the last thing he wanted men to do was to set their eyes and their hopes on him. Rather, he wanted them to see only Jesus Christ, the King. For John, any greatness he had came from the greatness of the One whose coming he foretold, Jesus Christ; and all he determined to do was to be a voice pointing men to that Source of greatness. What are your motives for doing what you do and for seeking all you seek today? Your life is a big waste if it is not pointing men to Christ!
PRAYER: Lord, may I be a voice that points men to Christ!
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