S) "41 Many came to Him and were saying, 'While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.'"
John 10:41 (NASB)
O) This is a brief comment about John the Baptist and Jesus, but there is a point it makes in passing, that caught my attention. This came after Jesus was asserting His deity pretty clearly. By the end of it, the Pharisees were ready to stone Him again. Jesus fled beyond the Jordan, to a place where John the Baptist had started his work. By this time, he had almost certainly already been arrested and executed (Matthew 14 has his death, then feed I the 5,000, then Jesus walking on the water. John records those second two events in chapter 6). Before his death, Jesus called John the Baptist, a prophet and more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9), and said there has never been anyone greater (Matthew 11:11). And yet, in the verses above, the people around whom he did the most work, never saw him perform any miracles. Moses was a prophet with whom there were many signs. Elijah performed signs, and then Elisha even more, but Jesus said they were not greater than John the Baptist. Yet, he performed no signs. There are certainly other places where Jesus warned against seeking signs, but this is an interesting note that signs and wonders, miracles like those, they aren't worth much in the kingdom of God. What made John the Baptist great, was his confession of Christ. He was the forerunner to the Messiah, and he boldly spoke truth about sin and the need to repent. No signs of supernatural power are needed for that.
A) To be very clear, I absolutely believe in the miraculous. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, including praying in tongues, prophecy, and physical healing. When I was a teenager, attending a Pentecostal church, that was my first exposure to the supernatural things of God, firsthand. Because of its newness to me, and because it amazed me, I often desired more of it. I see now, that it was an immature view of God and His ways. Of course I still pray for miracles. I lay hands on the sick, when given the opportunity. I pray in the face of disaster or emergency. All the while knowing, that God can use me to do a miracle. However, I have come to understand that there are much more important works to be done, than signs and wonders. I confess that it is already miraculous, that I have compassion for others (this is not at all who I was before submitting myself to Christ). So, it is already a miracle if I give money to a poor man. It is already a miracle, if I stop to change an old lady's tire on the side of the road. God has humbled me enough to know that I don't want to be someone great. I just want to be an obedient, faithful servant. If I proclaim the truth about who Jesus is, and I am living a life of repentance from sin, and I am willing to do what God is asking me to do (the practical, tangible works He has prepared for me, according to Ephesians 2:10), then I will be glad and hope to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master."
P) Father, thank You for the grace at work in me, for making me the man I am today. I confess, that too often I have areas in my life that are not fully submitted to You. I am not always willing to let go of my own selfish desires. But, I thank You that Your grace is bigger than my failures. please continue to work in me, that I would be more and more like Jesus Christ, who was fully and totally obedient to You, Father God. Let me be found a humble servant, who only seeks to obey what You are asking me to do, and that I am never seeking to be someone great, who does awesome things. I only want for You to be glorified, Lord. I confess that too often, I am trying to be a glory thief. Let me rest in the truth, that You don't need me to be a miracle worker, You just need me to be a worker, in whom You have already done miracles. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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