More Lessons for "Dirty Little Rats"
After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Mark 1:7, 8, RSV.
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
In spite of all his peculiarities and forceful ways, John the Baptist was truly a great man. Not only did the common people travel long distances to hear him, but even the exalted religious leaders of the nation. And they not only listened, but they put up with his "insults" to their positions and characters. Eventually even the head of state would call for a meeting with him. John was truly a person of influence and prestige.
While that is true, it is also true that he never fell into the same pit as most of the rest of us "dirty little rats." Let me explain. I once knew a great evangelist who was a genuine success. He had brought thousands of people into the church. But he had succumbed to the habit of believing in his own greatness. We could say the same thing, of course, of great pastors, local church leaders, and even church members. There seems to be enough "ratness" in the world to go around.
One of the serious problems of human success in any line is its proximity to failure. And failure dominates when human beings begin to take the credit for success for themselves, when their vision of themselves becomes exalted, when they in essence point to themselves rather than to Jesus by their manners and subtle ways of saying things. That is the essence of "ratness."
The Baptist saw the problem clearly. And I imagine that he faced the same temptations to greatness as you and I. But he had discovered the most important lesson any of us can learn. Namely, that our self-centeredness is the root of our sin and the problems that flow from it.
John himself set forth the solution when his followers realized that the ministry of Jesus was overshadowing his own (John 3:26). But that was no big deal to John. He had learned the most important lesson in life: "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Dear friend, it is time to join John. Today we need to stop pointing to ourselves, to stop feeling that we are better than other people, and to let Jesus have his rightful place.
Help us, Father.
After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Mark 1:7, 8, RSV.
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
In spite of all his peculiarities and forceful ways, John the Baptist was truly a great man. Not only did the common people travel long distances to hear him, but even the exalted religious leaders of the nation. And they not only listened, but they put up with his "insults" to their positions and characters. Eventually even the head of state would call for a meeting with him. John was truly a person of influence and prestige.
While that is true, it is also true that he never fell into the same pit as most of the rest of us "dirty little rats." Let me explain. I once knew a great evangelist who was a genuine success. He had brought thousands of people into the church. But he had succumbed to the habit of believing in his own greatness. We could say the same thing, of course, of great pastors, local church leaders, and even church members. There seems to be enough "ratness" in the world to go around.
One of the serious problems of human success in any line is its proximity to failure. And failure dominates when human beings begin to take the credit for success for themselves, when their vision of themselves becomes exalted, when they in essence point to themselves rather than to Jesus by their manners and subtle ways of saying things. That is the essence of "ratness."
The Baptist saw the problem clearly. And I imagine that he faced the same temptations to greatness as you and I. But he had discovered the most important lesson any of us can learn. Namely, that our self-centeredness is the root of our sin and the problems that flow from it.
John himself set forth the solution when his followers realized that the ministry of Jesus was overshadowing his own (John 3:26). But that was no big deal to John. He had learned the most important lesson in life: "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Dear friend, it is time to join John. Today we need to stop pointing to ourselves, to stop feeling that we are better than other people, and to let Jesus have his rightful place.
Help us, Father.
RSS Feed
