God has impressed upon my heart a desire to go back through the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).  To read them slowly, prayerfully, and methodically.  I want to go back to the basics and see for myself how Jesus ministered and taught his disciples to minister to those around them.  It's easy to get our eyes on others, to be bound by traditions of men, religion, etc. and miss JESUS in the middle of it all, Jesus...the TRUE JESUS...not the way "man" has portrayed Jesus today.  The Jesus of the BIBLE.   

While reading in Matthew, God wouldn't let me get past Chapter 3.  I was captivated by his calling, challenged by his courage, convicted by his love for Christ.  The word humility kept coming to my mind.  A much needed quality that is so lacking in business, society, the church, and sadly to say in many christian homes. 

Back to John the Baptist...Listen to Isaiah's prophecy Chapter 40:3 - "A voice is calling, clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness, make smooth in the desert a highway for our God".  John the Baptist was that voice calling.  John was the baby boy in Elizabeth's womb that jumped within her womb when she spoke with the mother of Jesus, and she was immediately filled with the holy spirit. 

John knew who he was, why he was here, what his purpose was...talk about the "purpose driven life".  Even more importantly John knew who Jesus was.  We live in a world full of people who want to know basically three things:  Who am I, Why am I here, and what is my purpose?  It is "In Christ" that we find all the answers to these questions. 

John was a man with a mission and a message.  His mission, to point others to Christ; his message, "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand".  Later he would cry out as he saw Jesus coming to be baptized, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world". 

The simplicity and humility of his mission and message are so refreshing.  John a man with no seminary degree, phd, or masters was commissioned by God Almighty to point others to "His Beloved Son in whom He is well pleased".   John who wore a camel's hair garment with a strap of leather around his waist, who ate locust and wild honey, who lived outside of the city in the wilderness.  Not a very likely candidate for such a task.  I love how God works. He most often choses the "ordinary" to preform the "extraordinary". 

I wonder how many churches would allow someone with John's appearance to stand in the pulpit and preach the same message today?  How about yours?

When I read that John called the religious leaders in Jerusalem "brood of vipers" I didn't quite understand it at first.  Vipers are a dangerous snake.  John had lived out in the wilderness.  I am sure over time he had developed a keen sense of what to look out for in the way of venomous snakes.