Calling...

"As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

The voice of one crying in the wilderness [shouting in the desert]:

Prepare the way of the Lord, make His beaten paths straight.
Every valley and ravine shall be filled up,

and every mountain and hill shall be leveled;

and the crooked places shall be made straight,

and the rough roads shall be made smooth;
And all mankind shall see (behold and understand and at last acknowledge)

the salvation of God (the deliverance from eternal death decreed by God)."

Luke 3:4-6(The Amplified version)

When I read those verses I think, what an awesome responsibility God entrusted with John. He was to prepare the way for Jesus. He was announcing the coming of the One who would forever change the world. He wasn't just announcing the coming of a king, but The King. The Messiah. The Savior. And he did so with urgency and passion and humility. Never once was it about him, but always about Him.

John fulfilled his calling in boldly bringing people to the One who could give them the salvation they so desperately needed, and then John seemed to fade into the background...only to eventually died at the request of Herod.

I guess my whole point of writing about John, is to remind myself of the importance of a calling. No matter what it is. No matter how big it may seem...no matter how small it may seem. When God calls us, we need to be obedient. We need to fulfill our calling with passion and humility, while always pursuing the will of God...that in all things we would give Him the honor and glory that is unquestionably due to Him.