| Are You the Man? … Did you ever wonder what it would have been like to be a cousin of Jesus? John the Baptist was his first cousin … wonder if they played together when they were young? I don’t know about that, but John’s destiny was to prepare the way for Jesus – announcing that He was coming, that He was The Man! Remember when John baptized Jesus, God’s voice was heard from Heaven, saying, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” What a moment that must have been. John heard first hand the confirmation of what he had been passionately declaring. Now, let’s fast forward a bit … John is in prison because of the message he was born to preach. According to Matthew 11, he has come to the point of doubting whether Jesus really was The Man. He told two of his disciples to go to Jesus and find out whether the great things he was hearing in prison were really true. Think about it – here’s John, the cousin, the one who told everybody else that Jesus was coming, the one who baptized Him and heard the voice of God confirm this was the Son, now doubting whether Jesus was The One, or whether he should look for someone else. How far John drifted; what caused him to question this reality to the point that now he wasn’t even sure Jesus was the Son of God? Did he doubt who Jesus was because of where he found himself (in prison)? Do you ever find yourself doubting God or His Word because of where you find yourself? Maybe something has happened in your life (or someone you love) that you don’t understand. You begin to wonder if God is real, is His Word true, does He really care? Don’t allow yourself to become offended (see Matthew 11:6). Go to Jesus – He’ll confirm who He is in your life just as He did for John. He told the disciples to go back to prison and tell John “the blind can see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have heard the Gospel!” In other words, “Tell John that I Am the Man! He doesn’t have to look for another!” The choice is ours – become offended, entertain thoughts of doubt and unbelief, which eventually leads to worry, depression, and fear. Or, settle in our hearts that God is real, His Word is true, His love for us is unexplainable and, whether or not we understand everything that happens, we will place our trust in The Man and not “look for another!” – Vonnie |