Monday, November 28: Matthew 3- John.

 

I found myself watching and listening to John and wondering, “Where did he get his wisdom and chutzpah to take on the religious leaders like he did?” When Jesus says things like John did, I can shrug it off saying thinks like, “Well, Jesus is God in human flesh and the Holy Spirit lighted on him and stayed with him during his ministry, so I can’t be expected to act like that.” But John is just a regular guy like me.  So I wondered and pondered…

I even spent a few minutes thumbing through this and the other Gospels for clues. The cupboard was pretty bare. I did find one verse Luke 1:17: And he [John the Baptist] will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. So now I wondered what the ‘spirit and power of Elijah’ meant. Elijah was one of the great prophets of Israel and a miracle worker. John, as far as I know, didn’t perform miracles.  Apparently God’s power was displayed in John’s message proclamation.

Where I ultimately landed in my meditations was that John, like Elijah, was a man dedicated to the Lord and who made following God his life desire. They were also men empowered by God to do great works for God’s kingdom.

Now I have some things to pray about…

Father, Jesus, Spirit, I seek the passion and will to be fully dedicated to You like John and Elijah…to go, do and say all You have for me to do. Lord, it is a bit intimidating to pray that prayer and yet I pray it. Lord, use me!

I pray to that Your Holy Spirit will fill me as You did John and Elijah, so that I go, do and say they things You have for me to do in Your power and not mine!

To You, O, God, be the honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

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