What Is Your Job For God?

Luke 3:3-6 - Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God and away from their sins, in order to be forgiven. In the words of Isaiah the prophet, John was “a voice shouting from the barren wilderness, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord to travel on! Widen the pathway before him! Level the mountains! Fill up the valleys! Straighten the curves! Smooth out the ruts!  And then all mankind shall see the Savior sent from God.’”

 

John the Baptist had gone out into the wilderness to live as soon as He realized the mission God had had given him. He wanted to separate himself from any worldly influences…and spend as much time with God as possible. Perhaps he had read Isaiah’s prophecy as a young man and knew in his heart that he was the one to fulfill it. He lived off the land…and waited for a message from God to begin announcing the coming of the Messiah.

 

John’s preaching and teaching was unlike any others of that day. His delivery brought back memories of the prophets of old. He told people in plain words that they had it wrong…they needed to repent of their sins and turn back to God.  John introduced baptism to these new Christians…a way of symbolizing their death to sin…washing of all that sin away to rise in newness to Christ.

 

And John’s choice to preach the gospel and repentance of sin in baptism was confirmed the day Jesus ask him to baptize Him. He had no sin to repent of…but symbolized for all of us that the sin of the world would soon be buried with Him and He would rise to conquer death forever. God was so proud of His son that he sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove to light on Jesus’ shoulder…while he spoke words of comfort and strength to His son from the sky. God wasn’t just proud of His choice to be baptized….he was proud of His son for accepting the ministry and mission he had been sent to complete.

 

It is a reminder to me that I have been placed on this earth to fulfill some sort of mission for God too. I know that it involves missions…and writing…but the other details have not been revealed yet.  I have to be like John…making sure that I choose a place to live and a way to sustain my life so that I can listen to God’s message and know exactly what I need to do and when I need to start doing it.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder  that you have a job for me to do.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the world and its influences keep me from spending as much time as I can with you.  Help me to use my time more wisely and listen for the message you will send to me to tell me what to do…and when to start doing it. Help me to be less dependent on the world…and more dependent on you.  Amen.