CAUSING OTHERS TO BEHOLD
And the next day John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
If I have seen Jesus and beheld His glory, I will never lead people to myself to try to get their needs met. I will join the likes of John the Baptist and say, "Behold the Lamb!" While John's life was exemplary and he could have taught men and women a lot about being single minded and passionate about their faith, he never sought an opportunity to bring attention to himself. The aim of the Christian life is to be so taken with Christ that He is the focus. It is not trying to 'not think' about myself. To be consumed with trying not to be self-centered is still being self-centered. What is the cure? To see Jesus in all of His glory. This is the greatest need of the human heart. As you and I go through John together, I pray every morning. "Show each one of us your glory!"
I know I have expressed this thought already a few times since starting John's Gospel, but it bears repeating. John was so passionate about bringing people to Christ, not himself. He showed that by saying, "I am not the Light." "I am a voice crying in the wilderness." "Behold the Lamb."
I am familiar with some who have become 'groupies' of well-known Christian personalities. They follow them around the country and hang on their every word. While everyone needs a mentor, there is a line I can cross in my admiration. Human teachers are not Christ. They can not forgive sins. They can not be there for me in the middle of the night when I need comfort and peace. I must examine those who teach to see if they are truly pointing to Christ and not making themselves a kind of Messiah. Are they like John, content only when people left him to behold the Savior?
The bigger Jesus' ministry got, the smaller John's became. While some close to him questioned him about that and explored the possibility that John might be upset about his waning popularity, John was quick to set the record straight. "He must increase. I must decrease." Does my heart feel the same sentiment when others see my limitations and run to Jesus instead? I pray this is true. If I need, in any way, to be the hero, I have not fully beheld the glory of Christ. Tongue-tied and spellbound will begin to describe the reaction of anyone who has seen Jesus.
Examine Daughters of Promise today, Lord. In my teaching, may I always cry out, "Behold". Amen
Christine Wyrtzen
Daughters of Promise
