Thursday, December 22, 2011

Be God’s Messenger

It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way -- a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 -- Mark 1:2-4

Before Jesus began His earthly ministry, John the Baptist told the world He was coming. John was set aside for God’s service and, eventually, he would give his life.

There was nothing normal about John. The Bible tells us he wore clothing of camel’s hair and he ate locusts and honey. Can you imagine how odd he must have appeared? Yet he loudly proclaimed the Messiah’s coming. Perhaps his differences made people notice and listen. Maybe a few even believed.

We are all called to be messengers for God. We are to prepare the way for those who are lost, those who are seeking, those who need a Savior. Yet we tend to shove our responsibility aside. We pay the preachers to do that sort of thing, don’t we?

I doubt God will let any of us get away with that excuse. Because that’s all it is. We don’t want the responsibility of talking to others about Jesus. We don’t want to boldly live our faith. We don’t want others to see us as religious fanatics.

What do we want others to see when they look at you or me? A decent person. A honest person. A hard worker. Someone who is kind and caring? Maybe, for most of us. But don’t we also want others to see us as someone who loved Jesus with all our hearts? Someone who lived our faith boldly in a fallen world that was so lost?

Our world could sure use a large dose of bold Christian living. Not judgment. Not condemnation. Not law. But of love and kindness and forgiveness. Because those are the things Jesus preached. Those are virtues He showed us how to live. So why do we hide behind a mask that tells us to hide our faith when we are outside the walls of our churches?

I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus. My faith is tested and true. And that bothers some people. So be it. I will continue to live my faith out loud. I will pray in public. I will speak of Jesus and all He has done for me. I will credit my God with all the good things He has and continues to do for me. To the best of my ability, I will live my life as a testimony of what I believe.

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for others to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. What about your life? Are you preparing others? Are you leading them toward the cross? Are you showing them what the promise of eternal life means today? God has set you apart. He has claimed you as His just as you claimed Jesus when you cried out to Him for salvation. So be God’s messenger. Show others the right path.