Monday, January 31, 2011

WHAT BEING GREAT IS REALLY ALL ABOUT

John the Baptist performed no miracles, but throughout his life he faithfully followed the path God had chosen for him. And in the end Jesus commended his life as he did no one else. Jesus said that John was greater than anyone in the past, and that would include Abraham, Moses, or David. No one topped John the Baptist.

What do we learn from John the Baptist? There are Four Choices we must make that God would describe as “being great”.

1. Discover how God has uniquely designed you and called you for His purpose.
Eph. 2:10 (Mes) We neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Question: How are you going to let this truth change your perspective of “you” this week? How will you act differently?

2. Point others to Jesus because He appointed you.
Jesus said in John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” What Jesus said, He said to all His followers, and that includes you and me.

Question: What are you going to do to lead someone toward Jesus this week?

3. Deflate “self”.
John baptized many people and they flocked to hear him. But John constantly sought to downplay his own significance. John said in John 3:30 “He must become greater; I must become less.” For Jesus to increase in our lives, we must decrease.

Question: What can you do this week to decrease “selfish motives, fears, and insecurities” and increase your attention on Jesus?

4. Live greater than your doubts.
I am sure that all of us here have doubted and even stumbled at times at the way God’s plans seem to unfold in our lives. There are times when what is happening in our lives is a mystery to us. And we’ve felt that the Lord has let us down or at the very least that he hasn’t worked things out the way we would have desired.

John knew who Jesus was, but in prison, doubt began to worm its way into his heart.
In Matt. 11:3-6 John sent word to Jesus and asked, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

In effect Jesus says this to John: “John you may not understand why I do the things I do. And you may not understand or agree with my timing, but you can trust Me.” John decided to live and act greater than his doubts. He chose to live his life, in prison, and right up to the day he was beheaded – resolutely believing in Jesus.

• We must choose to believe Jesus and act in faith, with or without our feelings.

Question: How are you going to show your belief in Jesus this week – that it’s real – that Jesus is real to you?
To God, that’s what being great is all about.

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