Bible Verse of The Day – 6-5-24

John 1:26-27 (NKJV) 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

John the Baptist was known for his fiery speech and his disdain for the religious leaders who frequently questioned him.

He went as far as calling them a brood of vipers!

John was adamant about the necessity of repenting from sin. His intense words on this topic made him both reviled and feared by many, including king Herod.

Because of this, king Herod had him beheaded.

But in all the fiery speech and intensity that John exhibited, there was a humility that is often overlooked.

John knew in his heart that he was there only to point people to the coming Messiah, his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth.

His humility was evident when the religious leaders sent their underlings to question him about who he was.

He clearly pointed to the fact that he was not the messiah, but simply the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.

When questioned further, John explained that he baptized only with (in) water, and that his baptism was unto repentance, whereas One was coming after him Whose sandal straps he was not worthy to untie.

John had every opportunity to grab the attention of those around him, shining the spotlight on himself.

Instead, he pointed solely to the One who was to come. The One who was already among them, but they did not yet know.

The most powerful of John’s statements was his allusion to the fact that he was not even worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus.

This was a task that was typically allotted to slaves. And yet John lowered himself to not being worthy of even this lowly task.

One of his final recorded statements of humility was one we likely all know well; “I must decrease, He must increase” in which he spoke of Jesus to his own disciples when they questioned John about why some disciples were leaving him to follow this unknown Messiah.

Let us also learn the importance of humility from this powerhouse prophet of God.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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