Daily Scripture Passage: 1 John 5:14-21

1 John 5:14-21 (ESV)

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. ¹⁷ All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

¹⁸ We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

¹⁹ We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Thoughts to Ponder from John 3:22-30

John 3:22-30 (ESV)

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²² After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. ²³ John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized ²⁴ (for John had not yet been put in prison). ²⁵ Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” ²⁷ John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ ²⁹ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.”

“This joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:29-30)

Have you ever watched the finale of the Tour de France bike race? The winner of the race often poses victoriously in a yellow shirt in front of an immense crowd of fans. Considering that the tour is composed of 21 different stages that cover more than 2,200 miles of challenging terrain, this is indeed a great accomplishment!

What is sometimes forgotten, though, is that the winner would have never won if it weren’t for his team of riders who selflessly support him throughout the whole race. These riders are world-class racers in their own right, but their task is to help the lead rider win. They often ride in front of him to block out the wind and sprint back and forth from the support van to get food and drink for him. They would even give him their bikes if his had mechanical issues. Their goal is to use their speed, endurance, and talents to bring someone else to victory.

Perhaps this is similar to how John the Baptist felt when people asked him why Jesus was becoming more popular than he was. John showed that he humbly accepted the role God had given him: to be a member of Jesus’ “support team.” He knew that his role was to point people to the Messiah, not to himself. And so he was delighted to see Jesus winning hearts and gaining followers!

What about you? You are a member of Jesus’ support team just as much as John the Baptist was. Your gifts, talents, and life experiences are all valuable tools that you can use to help Jesus complete the race that was set out for him by his Father. Your warmth and wit, your kindness and generosity, even your stubbornness and determination – you can use all of these to win people over to Jesus so that his Church can continue to grow. So don’t discount yourself, you are an important part of Jesus’ winning team.

Lord, I want to help you in your Kingdom work here on earth. Thank you for making me a part of your support team. Now teach me how to use my talents to help you win the victory over fear and unbelief. Amen.

wau

Inspirational Photo II