John the Baptist
Modern day society is obsessed with the word success. That obsession has expanded to all aspect of one’s life. We must be the best employee, the best parent , and have six pack abs.
The overwhelming majority of people that frequent social media are all attempting to build personal brands which they can then turn into a money making enterprise. Marketing companies target people with products that will make you bigger, stronger, faster or smarter. They play on the emotions that each one of us may not be “good enough” without their product.
This can even happen in our Christian world as well. Your church just needs the right discipleship program or worship experience then attendance will skyrocket. One more self-help book can help me attain ten percent more out of myself or business per day. The trappings of achieving a worldly success have left most in the western world in debt, full of anxiety and searching for what will finally make their heart whole.
The key to a fulfilling life cannot be found in this worldly pursuit. This is why there is always a new product or program to make you a “success.” The world keeps you in a never ending cycle and the goal posts keep moving on you. The game has been rigged to keep you spinning your wheels. Millionaires need to become billionaires and billionaires need to take trips to space. In order to find true meaning; we have to move away from ourselves and become servants to others. The best person to learn this lesson from is John the Baptist. John was Jesus’ older cousin and his job was to pave the way for the coming ministry of the Savior.
Matthew 3:4 (ESV): 4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey
John was not a man that concerned himself with the outward trappings of success - heck, he ate bugs for his protein intake. From an outsider’s perspective he appears quite crazy. John was countercultural way before the buzz word it has become now. John knew what his purpose on earth was: to be a servant and pave the way for Jesus. He was not concerned with the worldly definition of success.
The key to a fulfilling life is a singular devotion to Jesus. Eugene Peterson called it the “long obedience in one direction.” The problem with climbing the ladder of success is that at the top of the ladder is another ladder.
John 3:27–30 (ESV): 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”
Verse 30 is a great representation of being a servant.
John had a very successful ministry; many people came to him to be baptized and he had many followers. The vast majority of these followers would leave John and follow Jesus. This is what prompted the verses above.
The human ego is an amazing aspect of being a person. It can help you gain confidence in your God-given abilities and find solutions to problems. It can also drive you to cut corners or forget what your purpose is here on earth. John kept his ego in check by realizing that it wasn’t his success, but it was God’s success, that gave him the ability to have a thriving ministry. In the end, he walked away because it was his time to decrease his presence.
This is such a powerful statement for every single one of our lives. When we strip out all the noise from the world, life is only about serving Christ. It is not about what I have falsely perceived to have built because it was only through the power the Holy Spirit that I have built anything. John’s earthly reward would be jail time and ultimately execution. However, his heavenly reward was so great; as told by Jesus.
Luke 7:28 (ESV): 28 “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Jesus calls John the greatest among those born of a woman. What an unbelievable statement by Jesus. Yet the statement gets better because we can be great as well. However, this requires a countercultural view on success. When we make ourselves the least and all our actions are in servitude to Jesus, then you will find the success you are searching so desperately for.