Are we proclaiming?
Good Morning all. I hope each of you are getting into the Word of God. I know we all fall short because the Bible tells us we do. But the good news is that the grace of God covers us. He doesn't call us to be perfect but he calls us to be authentic. And if we are truly being authentic then are we proclaiming Christ. Let's look and finish up John 3. v15- The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possible be the Messiah. (Here I have to ponder because of the words that John spoke was the reason they wondered if he was the Messiah. Do our words we speak show the Messiah in us? If they were waiting expectantly for his words and his actions, this tells me they have never heard this before.) John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. (John knew what they were thinking and he corrected them quite quickly. When God does something in our lives, do we first say this is not us but Christ in me? Do we let people know about the one more powerful than me? Do we show people that we too were and are unworthy to even touch his feet, but he loves us anyway?) He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (He is letting them know I do the outward to the world baptism but the one that is coming will set your soul on fire. He will give you something that no man can give you. Are you letting the Holy Spirit guide your life?) His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (John is letting the people know that Jesus is gathering those who want to follow and do the commands that God has set forth but those who don't will be thrown into the fire. And the Bible says unquenchable fire. I don't know about you but I want to dig in deeper and see what God wants me to do. I want to follow ALL his commands not just the ones that I want to follow.) And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them. But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison. (Are we proclaiming Jesus and showing Jesus to the point that we are going to prison, not yet. John didn't care if anybody liked him, John didn't care that calling Herod out for the EVIL that he could land in jail cell. He proclaimed anyways. God will cut out what is evil and not of him in your life. He will show you what he wants of you or as some call it- your calling. But we also have to do our part. Get up and get moving. Are you awake? He is calling are you listening?) When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. (Jesus didn't need to be baptized. But because of the people he so dearly loved, he did it for us, to show us the way. He went through everything we go through.) And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.(Guys, when we are baptized with water and our lives change; the heavens open up and the heavenly host sings. Can you just imagine? I want to hear God say, with you I am pleased. I want to hear those words. Do you?) Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph. (Jesus being thirty shows us also it is NEVER to late to start your relationship with him. And I love how it says so it was thought. Why you ask because it shows that we forget to look at the spirit side of everything. The people did not know that the Holy Spirit had placed that baby in Mary. They only believed what their eyes see. Let's get out of believing only what we see and put on our Jesus' eyes and see the world through him. The rest of Chapter 3 is the genealogy. Guys, I hope you have a blessed day and you grow deeper in the word and your relationship with Jesus. Do your part!!!!