March 3, 2024

What an incredible responsibility God gave to John the Baptist: To prepare the way for Jesus. He was going to be the one to stir the pot to get people’s attention. He would be loud and wild and unusual. He would preach hard and bring conviction and controversy. He would dress like a first-century hippie and eat like a contestant on the Survivor reality show. But all of that was about one thing—to point to Jesus. His ultimate goal was to cultivate people’s hearts and minds, so they would be open to Jesus.
Who did that for YOU? Almost all of us had a John the Baptist or two in our lives. Was it a parent who read you Bible stories when you were a kid? Was it a Sunday School teacher who taught you and captured your mind and imagination? Was it a friend who was passionate about their love for God and invited you to church? Was it a co-worker who was different from the office rabble, a fellow student who stood firm in their faith among the party crowd in college, or the teammate whose quiet faith just drew you in? Whoever fulfilled that role in your life played a significant part in what God was up to. God used them to lay the groundwork for His Holy Spirit to touch your heart and reveal His Son Jesus to you. They were His seed spreaders. They were His path into your life. They were His way of getting your attention to draw you to Himself. They were your John the Baptist, preparing the way.
So who will YOU be a John the Baptist for? Whose life will YOU touch? Whose attention will YOU get? For whom will YOU be the path God uses to draw them to Himself? You don’t have to be weird like John, but you will have to live differently than the rest of the world. You don’t have to dress like a hippie, but it will certainly help if others see God’s love and joy shining through you. Jesus is still working, and He is still looking for a path into people’s lives. Will YOU prepare the way? That’s God’s Word for you today.