One You Do Not Know

John 1:19-27 Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah."  They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."  Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself ?"  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.' ". Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

            I am a fan of NASCAR. I enjoy watching races either live or on television. I will even listen to coverage of a race on the radio.  One of the elements of the NASCAR racing I enjoy is to see if the winner recognizes the role the team played in the win. Occasionally the winner forgets to give credit where credit is due. Humility goes along way in establishing credibility. Not everyone gets that.

            One of the most refreshing stories captured in the Bible is between John the Baptist and the Pharisees sent to question him on his activities. John is very humble and direct with his answers. From the questions being asked it would appear that there is concern among the religious authorities that someone was claiming to be that which he was not. John quickly dispels that idea. And in using the words of the Prophet Isaiah he gives warning that The Lord is on the way. "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' ". In all of our ministry activities we should embrace one key principle. It's not about us. Everything we do must point towards The Lord. All that we are, all that we will ever be is because of The Lord. When we forget that key premise, then we fall into the trap some many have slipped into before us. The sin of pride jumps up and rears it's' ugly head in so many people serving in ministry. None of us are exempted from that temptation. It is right there, next to you and I. It is waiting for an opportunity to get a foot in the door. In all elements, all aspects of serving, pride can interfere and steal our hearts. Pride can be found in bragging about how many are in the congregation or the number of people in our Sunday school class, or small group. When we remember that nothing happens in ministry without The Lord it places our role in a better light. We help. We can be the hands and feet. But it is The Lord doing the heavy lifting. We remember that we first seek the will of The Lord in prayer and then begin. And we do not try first, and ask The Lord to follow us. That has the cart before the horse. The purpose is to help people find The Lord, not us. Just as in the time of John the Baptist, there is among us that people do not know. There is one that longs to know and be known by all humanity. They do not need to know about you and I. But they most assuredly need to know The Lord. Ask yourself the question, am I sharing the Real Love of Jesus, or am I pointing to myself in what I do?

PRAYER: Father help us to overcome ourselves. Help us to remember that it is You people need to see, and not us. Help us to see Your will clearly. Equip us Lord to do Your work. Guide is our efforts to serve You. We ask this in the name of our savior Jesus Christ, Amen.