JUST BE THE VOICE!

Wednesday, July 11th> John 1: 19- 22 How does what we say about ourselves reveal who we represent?  As believers, we're all taught the same lessons in humility, so we know just how to say the right things around certain people.  We learn cliché phrases like, " It's not about me" and "I'm just a vessel" in response to compliments paid when we're around Christians that we know personally.   And yet, there's something about the need for acceptance that seems to arise when we're among people we don't know.  There's a need to pull out our spiritual résumé so as to impress them.   But I absolutely love John the Baptist's response to the question: "What do you have to say about yourself?" He basically tells them, "I'm the voice that points men's hearts to the Messiah." When he would've been justified to call himself a prophet, an evangelist, or  a preacher, he saw himself as nothing compared to the One Who was on His way.  How many of us would've even been tempted to reveal our family association to Christ?  John was His cousin, and was born about six months before Jesus came into the world.  And yet he counted all that as rubbish, focusing only on his purpose for being born. Yes, there's greatness in all of us, but not so others can ooh and ah at us, snap pictures of us, and get our autographs.  It's all about how loudly we point to Christ, Who is the only Savior and Redeemer.  So before we truly get launched into the nations, we'd better take the script from John.  We need to know that it's our purpose to make HIM famous.  Any ulterior motives will be exposed as soon as we start to speak.  May our hearts' cry today and everyday be to just be the voice.