John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of the once calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
John 1:13
I talked to a group of middle school students on the topic of motives a few weeks ago. I asked them questions like why do we go to church and why should we read our bibles? I then pointed out the foundational reasons why we do those things.
As I studies motives I began to reflect on my life. What are my own foundational motives? What makes me wake up in the morning and attack my to do list? Why do I choose to spend time doing particular activities? Am I making wise decisions? Do I make those decisions for the right reasons?
John the Baptist was a great example of a man that was deeply grounded in righteous motives. He was sort of an interesting character but he lived and extraordinarily selfless life. In the verse above John states his mission to “Make straight the way of the Lord.” John was in charge of preparing for Jesus to begin his ministry. All the followers of John the Baptist would eventually become followers of Jesus. Think about working all your life to develop a business, all the while knowing that at the most fruitful and lucrative time it would be taken away.
John the Baptist developed followers that were continually pointed towards Jesus, “he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (Jn. 1:27). This week let us think about our motives. How can we give God all the glory for our accomplishments, earnings, and the work that we spend often countless hours on? Are we willing to give credit where credit is due?
- Matt Simmonds
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