John 3:28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’
It was my generation that coined the phrase, “Finding yourself.” Previous generations headed out into the world to discover the world, my generation headed out to discover themselves. Somehow we made it all complicated: options” became the buzzword; you could just never have too many options and thus many became forever drifters. Drifting from one relationship to another, from one address to another, from one job to another, and the list could go on and on.
In contrast, the words of John the Baptist come to us as a voice crying in the wilderness teaching us that it is more important to discover what you are not.
Today you still hear people say things like, “I just don’t know who I am anymore.” This is usually a justification to give up on something or someone. However, John, like a one trick pony, would not go there. When tempted to get into a competitive “baptizing” race with Jesus he said, “Nope, I’m not that!” He understood that it is just as important to know what you’re not.
Brothers, that lesson still stands. When faced with temptations and temptresses remember what you are not. When tempted with “cool compromises” and “corporate corruption, remember what you are not.
You may not have fully discovered who you are, but like John the Baptist, be clear on this one thing: anything that would compete with your loyalty to and love for Jesus – that you’re not!
One day as Jesus was looking back over the panorama of human history he noted that of all the great people who had ever lived none were any greater than John the Baptist. Now that is some endorsement. Surely, one of the secrets to this great man was that he understood what he was not.
In about 48 hours, we will be finished with our 28-days of prayer. You may come through this season with many still unanswered questions and unresolved issues, but if you have done this one thing – determined what you are not – then you will be immeasurably better for the 28-day effort of praying.
Let’s make these last few hours count brothers – let us pray.
The ONE THING 