I ran out of room....here is the rest of what God has shown me in the life of John Baptist.  Remember I was talking about humility.  Like I said before, John knew who he was, who he wasn't and MORE importantly knew who Jesus was.  His life is a picture of what a true servant leader should be.  He always pointed others to the coming Christ.  He didn't think more highly of himself than he should have.  When the people came to him to be baptized in the Jordan River after repenting of their sins, John made sure they knew who could forgive and cleanse them from their sin, Matthew 11 "As for me, I ^R68 baptize you with ^F42 water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He ^R69 will baptize you with ^F42 the Holy Spirit and fire. Never once did he want others to look to him, only Christ.  What humility! 

In the book of John, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming and proclaims "Behold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world".  John the Baptist baptized our Lord and Savior how humbling that must have been.  He did it out of obedience to the Lord.  When Jesus began his earthly ministry John's disciples left him and followed Jesus.  You don't see a streak of jealousy, pride or an arrogant spirit.  John says "I must decrease, He must increase".   He humbly and gracefully let go.  His mission was complete. His message had been delivered.   Jesus had come to seek and save the lost. 

I asked myself these questions:  Do I truly know who I am?  Do I recognize who I am not?  Do I know why I am here?  Do I know my purpose and am I living it out in Christ, daily?  Would those whom I come into contact with describe me as a woman of humility and grace? Ouch!!!    If  I am in Christ I also have a mission and a message. I need to get busy "the kingdom of heaven is at hand".

In Him,

Renee