‘He that cometh from Above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.’ John 3:31

John the Baptist

The book of John is a great book for old and new Christians alike to read and meditate on. Some people refer to John the Baptist as the Forerunner of Jesus. Do you understand your calling as he understood his? His calling was to make preparations for Jesus. 

This is why when Jesus came, John willingly sent others to Him. 

At this time, John had a sound ministry. He could’ve been resentful in giving this up, but he happily and willingly understood his role was to bring people to the Almighty. 

“I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him….He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

Following John’s Example

We should all follow John’s example. Making sure that no matter where God takes us in our ministry and calling, that we never lose sight of the true purpose. The purpose of bringing people to God. It’s easy in the flesh to want to accept the glory for ourselves, but in doing so we are risking the very souls we started out to bear fruit and witness to. What do you do to ensure God gets the glory?

Example of Accepting Glory Upon Yourself

For example, there is this a gifted Christian singer, and it’s amazing to see her use her gifts to serve God. When she was interviewed at the beginning of her career, she gave all the glory to God. Once she rose to fame, however, she proudly accepted that glory upon herself. She stopped speaking out against sin for fear of jeopardizing her career and rarely mentioned Jesus anymore. When it came time for her career to be overshadowed by what Jesus was doing through her music, she was reluctant in letting that happen. 

Always let God Shine

In this way, we all need to be more like John. Always letting the glory of God shine through what we do. Be an example to the world, not become of the world. We should all be preparing the way for Jesus. In everything we do, leading people to Him. Laying the foundation for God to be the center of their lives. One of our main goals as a follower of Christ should always be to lead people to Him. We should also not be afraid to speak up for our beliefs and take a stand for Jesus. Jesus was persecuted and said ‘Know before they hated you, they hated me first’.

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world.” 

John 15: 18-19

Never Get Discouraged

Jesus wanted to make sure even though we may encounter different reactions to us spreading the gospel, to never get discouraged. To let us know that He too suffered persecution, but spreading the Gospel and savings souls is always more important. He paid the ultimate cost. What cost will you pay to help others go to Heaven?

There is so much context and spiritual nourishment we can get from the Book of John. I look forward to studying and meditating on it more to share with you later on as John is such an important person in the bible and depicts a great example of how we should follow Christ. 

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Reflection:

Do you allow God to shine through you or do you overshine God? Do you take every opportunity to give Glory to God for your blessings? I challenge you to reflect on this and read more about John so we can be an example to others on how to be a follower of Christ.

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