Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 3:1-2, 11, 13-17 NASB
Pray
May I always be of humble service to You and the least of these Your children, so that I may live the life that You have chosen for me. Use me Father. Let all things be Your will and not mine. Amen.
Reflection
John the Baptist was a humble servant, knowing his place in life, he was not arrogant or pompous, and he did not go around seeking accolades from others. Instead he served tirelessly preaching the Word of God and telling of the coming of Christ, Jesus, the Son who would be our redeemer.
Then what happens when Jesus walked up?
Did he expect fanfare? Did he try to be the center of attention? Did he treat John the Baptist like a servant? No. No. No.
Jesus always saw himself as a servant, there by God’s power and command, doing as he was told. Jesus never made any circumstance about him, even when on the cross and in his moment of weakness he cried out to God—he promptly changed his thinking and asked God to forgive those who were intent on killing him.
Jesus didn’t self-promote or get others to promote for him. His mission was to bring as many people over to the light to serve as soldiers for God. Jesus knew and said that none of this was about him, and all of this was about our Heavenly Father and His Kingdom. He was sent to save everyone not just a select few. He was sent to show everyone how to love, live, act, behave, think, pray, heal, and be tolerant.
Jesus didn’t demean people. He lifted people up in thought, word, and deed. He never carried himself as though he was better than anyone else.
We say we want to be more like Jesus, well we have a lot to learn and a great deal of change ahead of us!
Questions of the Day
1. How would a modern man approached John the Baptist, compared to Jesus?
2. We hear people all over who claim to be “servants” and are here to “serve” yet they seem to speak more than they do, why do you think that is the case?
3. How can we toss away the fad of insincere “servants” and help to convert them (and us) to actual servants, humble as Jesus?
Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com
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Love always,
Natasha
Copyright 2013-2015. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com
Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
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