So...the family was sitting in the living room last night having a summer dance party when my husband's ESPN alert goes off on his phone. This sound is as regular as the ringing of the phone and means that something big just happened or in this case about to happen...their was a no-hitter in the making in the bottom of the 9th inning with a Cincinnati Reds pitcher named Homer Bailey. We all sat around the TV in anticipation like we had watched the entire game and waited and watched...watched a man attain one of the hardest things to do in the sports world. It was awesome! But the most awesome thing for me to see was the excitement from his teammates, coaches, and fans who were so excited at the success of someone else. In a world that suffers from the "me disease", I love that in this moment, people were cheering, yelling, and dog piling because of someone else's success. As fans of sports you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself...you are a part of something great and you can't help but cheer.
Unfortunately, we have always suffered from this me disease because it is a part of that stupid sin nature we were born with (thanks for that Adam and eve), but there was a man who understood how God intended the world to work and set us the ultimate example to follow. He showed us what it looked like to be watching something great unfold right before your eyes and cheer. His name was John the Baptist.
John was the man that was born to Elizabeth, one of Mary's relatives, right before Jesus was born. He was also the man that baptized Jesus. He baptized the son of God! That right there, gave him the right to think he was pretty awesome stuff. He also had followers and would have been considered elite in the twitter world of followers....but it was these followers that allowed us to see the true character of the man we call John the Baptist.
"So John's followers came to him and said, "Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the river, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everyone is going to him instead of coming to us." John 3:26
That's right...they were upset because more people were getting baptized by the son of God than them. Sounds crazy right? How can someone be jealous for doing what God has called them to do? It still happens...all the time. I see churches tearing down other churches because more people are going there instead of their church. I have seen ministries tear down other ministries because they are getting more people involved than them. I have seen pastors tear down other pastors because their church family is growing more. I have seen people tear down other people's children because they are out performing their own children. I have seen coaches tear down other coaches because of the success they are having. I have seen women tear down other women because of the success they appear to have in their world, inside or outside the home. Heck, I have done some of these things. We all struggle with this disease....but John the Baptist new the cure...
"John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, 'I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.' It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. There fore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must be greater and greater, and I must become less and less." John 27-30
Seriously, if I was one of his followers I would have quietly backed up and went and put my head in a hole because they were just schooled and so was I. The cure to the "me disease" is Christ. You see, so many times we think being humble is thinking less of ourselves, but Rick Warren's definition of humility says it best: "Humility isn't thinking less about yourself, its thinking about yourself less." Whether we think highly of ourselves or lowly of ourselves, we are still thinking about ourselves. John through it back to God. He was so confident in who God made him to be and his role God had him, that he was able to be "filled with joy at his success." Wouldn't you love to be so confident in who God made you to be and the gifts God made you to do on this earth, that you were able to be filled with joy at someone else's success? Your friend calls you and tells you her kid made the varsity team, and you are genuinely filled with joy because God might use their child in a great way. Your friend calls you and tells you her husband got the Head coaching job and you are genuinely filled with joy for their family because you believe God wants to use their family to be an influence for Christ.
God has a story for each one of us to be a part of....His story. And in His story we all have different roles. Some will be called to teach, some will be called to encourage, some will be called to sing, some will be called to hospitality, some will be called to lead....BUT ALL WILL BE CALLED TO DO IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
Because John knew and understood his role was to point everyone to Jesus, he knew that he must become less and Jesus must become more. My pastor puts it this way, "To mature physically we must increase, to mature spiritually we must decrease." When you are constantly engaging in God's Word and who He is, there is no room or time, to be jealous of who someone else is.
God has given us gifts and talents to be used for His Glory, not for ours. God has placed us right where he wants us for His purpose, not for ours.
When we become less, He becomes more, and we are filled with joy for everyone else
And now you can cheer...or stick your head in a hole, whatever God leads you to do:)
