Preparing the way. Something we ought to do for all great things. It is an act of responsibility and reverence when we prepare the way. Prepare for what? You might ask. The things of the future that God has put on our hearts, such as our kids, ministries and anything else revolving around Christ. We all have a purpose and a calling, but also a responsibility to prepare a way for those that come after us. For John the Baptist, this was his sole purpose; preparing the way for Jesus to enter the world. Consider Jesus as the show's main attraction with the attention, spotlight and all, while John the Baptist's role was to be the stagehands and opening performance to ready the crowd. An opening performer's job is to prepare the atmosphere and build the anticipation for the main show. Nowadays, opening acts bear an agenda in mind to create a name for themselves and if possible, outshine the main show; but not John. John the Baptist knew his place and knew that it was never about him, but instead about the work that Christ was about to do in the world. John not only knew this, but made it publicly known to the world that the one coming after him was the real deal, saying:
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
– Matthew 3:11 (NIV)
John the Baptist was a very popular man, who was respected and it was not uncommon for crowds to converge onto him and hear him preach and be baptized in water. But John raised Jesus, his cousin, onto a pedestal to his own crowd. Humility is the key element here, because without humility there can only be pride and pride is not usually privy to making oneself lower than another. When I think about John the Baptist and the purpose He had, I think about the kind of man of God I want to be. With aspirations to be a Christian author/artist/preacher/motivational speaker, there are so many ways for the enemy to strip me of my humility. A man of God after his own glory is one of my biggest fears; something I never want to be. Out of all the things that I mentioned, being an artist is probably the most dangerous in regards to having pride. There is a stage, a spotlight, a crowd and a job to be done. Whether you want it or not, you will have fans, just as well-known pastors have them. Whether you want it or not, people will honor you and become fanatic when they see you.
So what does one do to combat these things? One thing that The Lord put into my heart is to give myself honest and thorough heart checks. Always checking where my heart is, making sure that bringing God glory and making Christ known are the only concerns of mine. But sometimes, I check my heart and that is not what I find; instead I find desires of self-gain and self-promotion and I have to pray and rebuke those thoughts and feelings, asking God to forgive the wicked motives of my heart and return my heart back to Him, for it is written:
"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."
– Lamentations 3:40 (NIV)
The day I stand on that stage I pray is the day that I point towards Heaven, pointing to every single good thing Christ did for us. I will NOT rise up as an artist that speaks positively on things in hopes that they will point to God. My life must point to God's agenda and the name of Christ in all aspects, without fail. I cannot worry about how to market myself to the world nor can I concern myself with making my name great. These are fleshly desires and they do not point to God. I trust in the Word of God that says:
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
– James 4:10 (NIV)
I aim to let God do the lifting. My flaws and imperfections are not meant for me to lift up, otherwise Christ would not have died on a cross in order to bear them; the same way He lifted them, He will lift me. Our Father wants to lift up His children. So why do God's job, and lift ourselves up? Provided that my heart is correct and I humble myself to do the work of the Kingdom, God will exhalt me to where He wants me and honor will come to me as He sees fit to bestow on me.
Let our prayer be for our humbleness and contriteness in spirit, to prepare the way for God's glory by the constant mentioning of His son, Jesus's name, in words and actions. Let us also be mindful to check our hearts, and be in line with the two greatest commandments, among the other commandments to be obeyed: Love The Lord with all your body, spirit and strength and Love your neighbor as yourselves. God bless you all.
With Love and Blessings,
Cease The Messenger
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