“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”(Luke 6:38)

Our daughter Priya is destined for greatness in the media mountain—in the unbiased opinion of those responsible for bringing her into the world 🙂 Seriously though, anyone who has met her and/or seen her in action will tell you the same. Her engaging personality, exacting standards of excellence and exceptional work ethic are all key contributing factors in this “unbiased” assessment.

She is presently working for a major television network in Canada at an entry-level position. She is responsible for ensuring that the teleprompter is programmed accurately and operated in perfect sync with the anchor who is reading the news. That’s what she gets paid to do.

She was telling me today about all the additional duties she has taken upon herself to do. She volunteers to do research on stories that reporters are working on. She has been “shadowing” them through the preparation, interviewing and editing process. She offers to write news stories for the anchors. Today she even checked to see if a story that was ready to be read on air had been updated since it was written and alerted the on-camera host, who was, of course, appreciative of this unsolicited help.

Her desire to make life easier for others and add value to them reminded me of a book by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Here is a synopsis posted on their official website:

“The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. And so one day, desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees simply as the Chairman.

Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of successful “go-givers”: a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real estate broker and “The Connector,” who brought them all together. Pindar’s friends share with Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and teach him how to open himself up to the power of giving.

Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns. Imparted with wit and grace, The Go-Giver is a heartwarming and inspiring tale that brings new relevance to the old proverb “give and you shall receive.”

“The old proverb” is, of course, a variation of Jesus’ words at the very beginning of this post. It is another expression of the law of sowing and reaping. Even though you never give with the express purpose of getting in return, it inevitably turns out that way, amen?

Dear DWOD friend, one of the best ways to accelerate into your destiny is to be a Go-Giver. Look for opportunities to add value to your boss, a co-worker, mentor, pastor or whoever else Holy Spirit may highlight for you. You will not only reap what you sow, you will actually reap more than you sow.

Do it with the heart of Jesus that Paul describes in these words from Philippians 2:3-4: “in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

You will stand out among the go-getters of this world. The favour of the Lord will shine upon you.

This is why I was not surprised to hear that Priya will likely be trained as a production assistant soon, which is the next step on the way to becoming an on-air reporter. Such acceleration is only possible for one who does not hesitate to be a go-giver. Be one today, will you?

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)

Last Friday morning as I was chauffeuring Her Royal Highness Sulojana, the Queen of our casa to work, I turned left on to Niagara Street from Carlton as we do every morning. That’s when my heart skipped a beat.

We were already running late. Now a traffic slowdown. Correction. A total stop. Period. No movement.

Of course, the brain immediately went to work and started playing video clips from similar stoppages in the past—the accident that resulted in freeway traffic being diverted onto this same Niagara Street, malfunctioning traffic lights that instantly transformed the next intersection into a four-way stop—to name just a couple.

The mini-SUV in front of us made it impossible to see how many vehicles were ahead of our now seemingly low-to-the-ground sedan. If traffic was backed up all the way to the lights, that could be as many as 15! At the conservative rate of 22.4 seconds delay per vehicle waiting for others at the newly-created four-way stop, that could add a whopping 5.5 minutes to our trip. At this rate, she will be 12.7 minutes late…perish the thought 🙁

Even if it were only increased traffic from the freeway, we could still be waiting for two light changes or 3.8 minutes. That still translates to an 11 minute late entrance. Egad!

And then the unthinkable happened. We started moving. Nigh the speed limit. We hadn’t even prayed for a miracle and the stoppage was gone…just like that! Wow!

Turns out that one of the cars ahead of us wanted to turn left onto a side street. There was a steady stream of vehicles coming the opposite way. All must have been in a hurry, because no one wanted to slow down and let this poor soul make her turn…until finally, someone with a good heart and an extra 11.3 seconds to spare stopped. Problem solved. Now we would only be 8.6 minutes late…praise God!

Have you ever been tempted to exaggerate the size of the problems you face, to make mountains out of molehills, as the expression goes?

A faint pain in the chest triggers fears of a heart attack. A delay in receiving a cheque induces anxiety about impending bankruptcy. One complaint that someone filed against you makes you wonder whether you’ll lose your job. Get the picture?

Satan is a master at making our problems appear much bigger than they really are. Over the years I have heard many Christians say that the enemy is a lion who is waiting to devour our souls.

Yet, when you read I Peter 5:8, here is what it actually says: “He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

LIKE a roaring lion. Not an actual lion. He is a mouth that roars like a lion. His roar is worse than his gore. He wants you to respond with fear and anxiety, even when there is no need for it.

Contrast this with Jesus’ response to the disciples when they were caught in a storm and started screaming:“Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!”(Mark 4:38-39).

Clearly Jesus did not see it as a life and death issue. He treated the wind as a misbehaving child, expressed his stern approval of its demeanor and scolded it into submission.

Similarly when everyone was weeping and wailing at Jairus’ house, he said: “The child is not dead, but sleeping.” Then he proceeded to do what you and I would do to awaken a sleeping child.   He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:39, 41).

Dear DWOD friend, “be alert and of sober mind” as you advance into your destiny. Do not fall for the fear-inducing, anxiety-raising tactics of satan to get you off track. And you too will discover as Sulojana and I have countless times, that there is less than meets the eye.

The spider monkey, native to South America, is so named because it hangs from the tree by its tail and lets its arms and legs dangle. Since it is very small in size and very fast, it is extremely difficult to catch with a net or tranquilize with darts.

Trappers have found a way to do it, though. They take a long-necked bottle, tie a rope around its neck, place peanuts inside, scatter a few on the ground around the bottle, and wait for the spider monkey to come.

The spider monkey sees the peanuts on the ground, eats them, then notices the peanuts in the bottle, reaches its arm into the bottle and grabs a hand full of peanuts.

When it tries to pull its arm out of the bottle, it can’t, because its fist is clenched, full of peanuts…unless it lets go of them. At that point, it is easy for the trapper to catch the spider monkey.

Even when there are other peanuts outside the bottle, the monkey wants the peanuts inside the bottle so badly, that it will not let go. As a matter of fact, even when fresh fruit (another spider monkey favourite) is placed around the bottle, it will not let go. Trappers eventually have to break the bottle to get the spider monkey’s arm out.

The apostle Peter warns us: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)

What is easier to pick off—a target moving at lightning speed or one that is stationary? A spider monkey that is flying from tree to tree totally free or one that has its hand stuck in a long-necked bottle?

As we move into 2014, I am sensing that we too need to “be sober, be vigilant”, as Peter advises prior to penning the aforementioned words, so we do not get devoured.

Are we clinging to something from our past, even our more recent past in 2013 that makes us easy prey for the enemy?

What may be obvious is unforgiveness to which we may be holding on…or pain on which we’re still dwelling…regret over what we could’ve done or did not do…or something else that is negative………………………………..(please fill in the blanks).

What may not be so readily apparent is the good things from our past that we are unwilling to let go.

You may have heard the expression: “The good is the enemy of the best.” We may be clinging tightly to the trophy of yesteryear, the great revelation that revolutionized our life, the new tactic that changed our finances for the better or …………………………(you know what to do, right?)

You can unwittingly become an easy target for the treacherous trapper of our souls should you refuse to let go and move on. Your very destiny is at stake.

So, why not take some time today and see what peanuts (if any) may be inside your clenched fist. Don’t be a spider monkey. Let go of them and set yourself free. And you too will take great strides toward your destiny.

January 6 marks the Feast of the Epiphany in the Christian calendar. The Greek word epiphania literally means manifestation. It is the celebration of the manifestation of Jesus as the Second Person of the Godhead, worthy to be adored as King, drawing even the Gentiles unto the brilliance of His Light.

The traditional Scripture reading for Epiphany is Matthew 2:1-11, the account of the Magi who followed the star they saw in the East and came to pay homage to this newborn King of the Jews.

When they set out on this long journey, they assumed that the newborn King of the Jews would be found in the palace of the reigning King of the Jews, namely, Herod. A very logical thought process, wouldn’t you agree?

But, of course, they did not find the newborn king in the palace. As a matter of fact, the only point of the pit stop at the palace was to pinpoint the birthplace of the one they sought.

Scripture also points out how Herod was greatly troubled by their visit “and all Bethlehem with him.” He saw this other “king of the Jews” as a threat to his rule and hatched a sinister plot to eliminate him.

You know the rest of the story. The Magi made it to Bethlehem, found the Christ child (not baby), worshipped him, offered him their gifts and made it back home another way.

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he ordered the massacre of all baby boys two and under in hopes that the broad sweep of the sword would catch the one he perceived to be his competition.

This morning as I reflected on this passage for the umpteenth time, the Lord highlighted the fact that despite the regrettable choice they made in stopping at Herod’s palace in Jerusalem, the Magi were still blessed by the unforgettable experience of worshipping the Christ Child in Bethlehem.

It is specifically aimed at all of us who made choices we regret in 2013…and perhaps, already in 2014! We may wish we could go back and do the same thing differently…but, of course, that is impossible.

However, the Lord wants us to know that He redeems even our regrettable decisions. He will not allow our mistakes to make us miss out on our destiny. There is a caveat, though. As long as WE do not get stuck in the rut of regret and prevent our own progress…

As God reminds the people of Israel in Isaiah 43:18: “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.”

When we choose to forget the regrettable, God lets us experience the unforgettable.

May this be your portion as you leave 2013 behind and advance into your destiny in 2014. Ask Holy Spirit to show you what regrets you need to sh(r)ed…take care of business and take your rightful place in His glorious future.

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:5)

In his book “Just Walk Across the Room”, Bill Hybels tells the story of an African-American Muslim man who was at a business cocktail party in a predominantly white community in a Southern state in the U.S. He had become accustomed to being on his own at these parties, while others socialized with one another in small groups.

This night was no exception…until a man who was in one of those circles on the other side of the room noticed him, quickly left his companions, walked all the way across the room, stuck out his hand and introduced himself.

They started carrying on a natural conversation that revolved around their professions, families, business interests, sports, etc. Eventually, the topic of conversation turned to matters of faith. He shared with his new friend that he was a Muslim and promptly discovered that he was talking to a follower of Jesus.

Much to his surprise, the Christian man confessed that he knew very little about Islam and wondered whether his Muslim friend would be open to meeting for coffee and sharing the basics of his faith.

Soon they were meeting almost every week, with the Muslim man doing most of the talking and his Christian friend simply listening and asking questions for clarification purposes only. Eventually one week, the focus of the conversation shifted and the Christian man was able to share why he had decided to commit his life to Jesus.

Here is how the Muslim man describes what happened next: “There finally came a day—I remember being home alone when this happened—that I felt totally compelled to pray to God. I kneeled beside my bed, told God everything I was feeling, and in the end gave my life to Jesus Christ. And in the space of about a week, that single decision changed everything in my world! Every single thing.”

Needless to say the kingdom of heaven would be minus one precious soul had not one man made the conscious choice to leave behind his comfortable conversational clique and reach out to a lonely stranger at the other end of the room.

In a way, we should not be surprised that he did this…after all he was only mirroring what Jesus did in Luke 19 when he stopped by the tree where Zacchaeus was perched far above the crowds that thronged the Messiah on his walk through Jericho.

Once again, we see a man who did not fit into the rest of his society. Tax collectors were universally hated by the Jewish people. They would buy “tax franchises” from the Romans for, let’s say, a million dollars and then collect as much as they wished from everyone and pocket the rest. No wonder Zacchaeus is described as being rich in verse 2. The way he became rich was by gouging his own people.

No one else would go to him. But Jesus does not wait for Zacchaeus to come to him. He stops, extends a hand of friendship, invites himself over to his place…and the rest is history.

Without any prompting from Jesus, Zacchaeus voluntarily offers to pay back all that he has collected illegally and compensate the victims fourfold. Had Jesus waited for Zacchaeus to make the first move, this encounter would not have happened and the tax collector’s life would not have been transformed.

Ditto with the Muslim man in Bill Hybels’ book, amen?

Dear DWOD friend, one of the keys to advancing into your destiny is to develop the “Go-To” habit. Take the initiative, make the effort to go to those who are lonely, isolated, on the fringes. You too will be pleasantly surprised how that little gesture of walking across the room can result in someone crossing over from a life without Christ to spending eternity with Him.

“You shall decree a thing and it shall be established.”(Job 22:28)

In the DWOD for Dec. 29, 2013, you read about our search for a new vehicle. Our friend Ben Soji had been scouting various dealerships in town with a view to finding exactly what we wanted.

We had specifically requested that he look for a Buick Allure or Lucerne that was no older than 2009 with low mileage. The only requirement was that it needed to have heated seats.

Ben promised to do his best. Sulojana said to me: “What we really need is a car that was owned by people living in a retirement home. Not only would it have low mileage, but it would also be well-maintained.”

We prayed into it. We were both sure that the Lord would use Ben to find our car by Dec. 31. We told him so and decreed it in Jesus’ name.

Sure enough, on Dec. 30, Ben phoned to let us know that he had indeed found a 2009 Buick Allure with only 41,000 km on it! I had to ask him to repeat the mileage twice, because such low mileage on a 5 year-old vehicle was virtually unheard of!

Of course, I asked him about the heated seats right away. He promised to check and sent back a text: “It is not leather and it is not heated seats.” Needless to say we were disappointed. But we sensed a nudge to take it for a test drive anyway and obeyed.

The salesman brought the car around and was showing me where the basic controls were located. I said with a tone of sadness in my voice: “Too bad the seats are not leather, but fabric. I was really hoping for heated seats.”

He put his glasses on, surveyed the various switches and spoke these words that were music to my ears: “This is really strange, but this car actually has heated front seats.” Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus!!

While I was doing a walk-around to make sure that the body was in good shape, my eyes caught a sticker on the windshield. It read: “Heidelberg Village Resident.” It struck me at that moment that the previous owner of this car had indeed been living in a well-known local retirement home for independent seniors.  

To make a long story short, we took it for a spin, were quite pleased with it, Ben negotiated a very good deal for us directly with the Sales Manager, the dealership offered financing at a much lower rate than the bank…and, as of this afternoon, it is now ours. (The Royal Bank might contest this claim…a mere technicality, I say…lol!)

Wow! We could only stand amazed at how God granted the desires of our heart that we had decreed.

As you advance toward your destiny in 2014, please take seriously the power and authority you carry to make decrees…and watch as they come to pass!

(If you’re not familiar with decrees, you may wish to listen to this message that I preached recently at the beginning of the Thirteen Decrees in December Fast)

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4)

As 2013 draws to a close, we would be wise to take a look at the past year through retrospective lenses. Thus, today’s DWOD is more of a worksheet than it is a word. (You may wish to print it out or copy to a word processing program).

Here are some questions that you could ask and answer:

1.    What blessings am I most grateful for in 2013?

a.    In my faith journey/church life?

b.    In my personal life?

c.    In my family?

d.    In other significant relationships?

e.    In my work/business life?

f.    In my finances/material possessions/assets?

g.    Other areas not covered by a-f?

2.    Where did I experience the grace of God the most? (Grace=what I received that I did not earn/merit/deserve)

3.    What are some prophetic words that were fulfilled in 2013?

4.    What victories did I celebrate in 2013?

5.    What are some areas where I fell short/experienced failure?

6.    What are some lessons I learned about God, me and others?

7.    Who (all) do I need to forgive before moving on to 2014?

8.    In what areas of my life do I need change/transformation? (You may also wish to seek answers to this question from your spouse, a close friend, pastor or mentor)

Now, take your answers and offer them as prayers to God. For example, you could phrase your responses to questions #1-4 & 6 as “Thank You” prayers.
e.g. “Father, I thank you for helping me grow in my ability to hear your voice. I thank you for good health, for the change in jobs, the promotion, the unexpected bonus”, etc.

Your answers to #5 could become a prayer that begins with: “Lord, I am sorry for…”.

Similarly you could simply say: “I forgive ………… for ………..” when you get to #7.

Finally, the answers to #8 could be part of a prayer that goes something like: “Holy Spirit, I need your power to stop criticizing others, to see everyone through the eyes of Jesus, to seek your wisdom first…” Get the idea?

Please give it an honest attempt and let us know how you did. Are there other questions you would ask? I look forward to your responses.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? (Luke 14:29-30)

 

Nearly two weeks ago, Holy Spirit prompted me to start looking for a car to replace our 2004 Buick Regal which has served us well for the past 5 years. The odometer, which sported 80,000 km when we purchased it in 2008 is about to hit the 350,000 km mark.

 

When I sensed this nudge, it was still running well, averaging over 30 mpg on the highway. It did not feel like a car that needed to be replaced in a hurry.

 

However, within the past week, it has been acting its age and a number of issues have arisen that would cost way more than the car is worth to fix. So, I had to eat crow and admit to Holy Spirit that He knew what He was talking about when He gave me that prompt. I apologized for not acting on it right away with a sense of urgency.

 

As a result, Sulojana and I have had to switch our thinking into vehicle acquisition mode. One of the first decisions we had to make was what kind of vehicle we would look for. After tossing around the possibility of buying a small SUV or crossover, we eventually decided that a sedan would probably be a better choice, since it would be simply the two of us occupying the vehicle for the most part. And, the fuel efficiency would be better.

 

There was just one “luxury” that we both agreed was a necessity. Are you ready for it? Heated seats. No compromise on this “requirement.” (Perhaps this has something to do with our age?) Since we’ve been very happy with GM vehicles, we also decided that we would prefer a Buick or Chevrolet.

 

The next step was to agree on the price that we were willing to pay for the pleasure of owning such a vehicle. Sadly, we needed the input of our friendly neighbourhood banker to make this decision. Within a couple of days, that matter was settled as well.

 

Now we could approach our car dealer friend Ben Soji and ask him to be our eyes and ears for a suitable vehicle. With all the Christmas holidays, he has not been able to move as swiftly on it as expected…but, from tomorrow onwards, the intensity of the search will increase. We are confident that within a matter of days, we will indeed have our next vehicle.

 

This process of planning the purchase of a car got me thinking about the New Year’s resolutions that many of us will make over the next few days. Let me fess up by acknowledging that my track record has not exactly been stellar in this particular area.

 

As I was reading through Luke 14 recently (in my journey through the gospel of Luke), I began to realize that one of the reasons why many of my resolutions did not lead to successful results is because I had omitted this critical step that Jesus demanded of his disciples: COUNT THE COST.

 

By using the example of a building project, Jesus gets us to ask this question: “What price am I willing to pay to have that which I desire?”

 

This is a critical question to ask when we make our New Year’s resolutions or set any other goals for that matter. When we take the time to count the cost of making that decision and seeing it come to fruition, we may decide that it is unrealistic for us at this particular juncture and drop it. Or we may be excited to pay that price and proceed full steam ahead. Either way, this simple step has accomplished its purpose!

 

Dear DWOD friend, are you one that counts the cost before making such decisions? Would you share your experience with the rest of us? Thanks in advance.

“The Son of God became the Son of Man so the sons of men could become the sons of God.”

These words have been resonating in my spirit every since my pastor friend Duncan Smith delivered them at a Conference a few years back. On this Christmas Day it seems to me that they sum up perfectly the reason why our Father in heaven sent His only begotten Son into our world.

The apostle Paul put it this way in Galatians 4:4-5: But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Clearly, the heart of the Father is not to limit “sonship” to the Only Begotten Son, Jesus, but to everyone who desires to be part of His family. Paul tells us that He does this through the process of adoption.

Prior to becoming part of the family of God, we are like orphans who long to belong. Then we are given an opportunity to become His children. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

Simply by receiving Jesus as Saviour and believing that He is Lord (Romans 10:9), we are adopted into God’s family.

Paul goes on to point out the significance of this new identity. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)

Take a moment to let that sink into your spirits…an heir of God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, Father of Jesus himself. You and I have the same access as Jesus to all that the Father has. As Jesus himself said in Luke 12:32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Wow! What an awesome change from being orphans without a family to becoming heirs of the one from whom every family on earth derives its name!!! He is now our “Abba!” our “Daddy.” It is an intimate relationship that every orphan child yearns to have…and we have it through Jesus!!

Dear, this identity is the key to advancing into your destiny. Knowing who you are in Christ, knowing whose you are, knowing that you are a joint heir with Jesus, gives you the confidence to forge ahead without fear, with no insecurity whatsoever. Because all of heaven backs you up every step of the way.

This is why God sent Jesus. Not just for us to see His only begotten Son, but for Him to see that all of us become His adopted “sons.”

Duncan Smith was absolutely perfect in his summation of Christmas: “The Son of God became the Son of Man so the sons of men could become the sons of God.”

Merry Christmas, everybody!

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’”(Matthew 3:1-3)

In July 1985 we bought our very first house on Sangster Boulevard in Regina, Saskatchewan. After a couple of years, we decided that the entire place needed to be painted—both inside and outside. Hiring professional painters was out of the question and beyond our budget.

 

Only one problem: Neither Sulojana nor I had ever picked up a paintbrush in our lives before. The only rollers we knew were of the holy variety 🙂

 

Enter Muriel Rae, a newcomer to our church and denizen of the same Argyle Park subdivision where our house was situated. She promised to give us a hand with it and promptly proceeded to give us a short, swift and thorough course on painting.

 

It was nothing like I had imagined. Much to my chagrin, painting did not begin with a can of paint and a brush. We had to first prep the walls. Muriel patiently showed us to how to fill the nail holes and cracks with polyfill, use sandpaper to smooth out rough edges, wash the surface with a sponge, tape the trim, etc. Then we had to “cut in” an inch from the ceiling and the baseboard before we could start splashing the paint on with a roller.

 

To be honest, I almost quit before the first coat of paint was ever applied. It was a lot of work…but painting without proper preparation would’ve been an exercise in futility. It was indeed a necessity.

 

Have you noticed that before Jesus could make a splash onto the scene, John the Baptist had to do the prep work? Both Matthew and Luke spill a considerable amount of ink describing in great detail the vital work he did to prepare the way for Jesus to launch his earthly ministry.

 

It was not a pretty job. Admittedly, John was not exactly a savoury character–sporting the first ever camel hair coats, munching on grasshoppers which were not coated with chocolate first, to name a few idiosyncrasies.

 

And his message wasn’t exactly smooth either. He had to do the harsh prep work, preaching an unpopular message of repentance. The sandpaper grit was also evident in the way he addressed Pharisees and Sadducees as “a brood of vipers.” Talk about the ax being ready to be wielded to chop down the trees that did not bear fruit revealed the, er, “cut-in” edge of his message.

 

Yet, John’s prep work and baptism of repentance was absolutely essential for Jesus to proclaim the message of the Kingdom and baptize with Holy Spirit and fire.

 

Jesus himself acknowledges the greatness of John’s ministry when he says of him: “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.”(Matthew 11:11). Quite a high compliment, wouldn’t you agree? That is how much Jesus values the prep work of John.

 

Dear DWOD friend, do you realize that you too are called to prepare the way of the Lord? Your prep work may not be the same as John’s. You may be called to fast and pray for those who have not yet met Jesus. You may be called to “witness to the Light” (John 1:6-8) by sharing your testimony or demonstrating the works of the Kingdom.

 

Granted it is not a glamorous calling. It is not as easy as splashing paint on a wall with a roller. But, just as Jesus needed John the Baptist to prepare the way for His coming, so too does He need you to be His prepper today.

 

Will you accept the challenge? I hope so. I pray so. Let it be so.