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MORNING MEDITATION
Glean the Word: Matthew 11:1-15
Glimpse of Glory: "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." (v.12)
From the days leading up to His crucifixion, to the forty days following His resurrection, Jesus prepared His disciples for how they should live and carry on His kingdom work when the time would come when He would not be with them in bodily form. They had been given power and authority to heal the sick, but Jesus was preparing them to perform the greatest miracle of all - the saving of souls. The way had been prepared for the coming of the Messiah through His forerunner, John the Baptist, and now Jesus was preparing the way for His disciples to walk. "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:76-79).
John's ministry drew many followers because he was a stable man who did not bend and turn like a reed blowing in the wind. His food was fasting and his clothes were mourning; he lived a life of humiliation and self-denial. In every way he exemplified the message he preached - repentance. John became less so that Christ could be all; he prepared the way, but then got out of the way so that he would not become a stumbling block or hinder anyone from finding their way to Christ. John the Baptist prepared the way for the kingdom of heaven, which, from the beginning was being "forcefully advanced," and could only be attained by those who were willing to labor with earnest desire until they received the blessing of God's promised salvation and peace. Entering the kingdom of God comes with great travail. It is a epic struggle against the external forces of the world fighting against us to blur our vision so we will not look upon holy God, and the internal forces of the flesh and self waging war within to cause us to stumble and to prevent us from fully surrendering to Christ. Jesus wants each of His followers to be a strong and stable force that He can use to advance His kingdom in the world and in the hearts of men. May we put on our spiritual armor each day and prepare ourselves in the Word and in prayer for the battles that are sure to come our way before we even step out of our front door today. May the witness of our lives, like John's, provide a strong, steady, and undiminished glow of the light of Christ, so that others will be brought out of the darkness and into God's wonderful light and life. "He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world" (John 1:7-9).
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