Daily Devotion for January 6

INTRO

As we continue the dialogue of John the Baptist with religious clergy of the day, they are frustrated with John the Baptist not answering the question, "Who are you?" In their frustration they point blank ask him:

SCRIPTURE: John 1: 22 & 23

22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "

NOTE John knew who he was,. Because he knew who he was he was able to accomplish his task.

APPLICATION

All of us have a quest, not only to know who we are, but our “mission” in life. For John, he was the herald for Christ/Messiah. His mission (task) was to “Make straight the way for the Lord.”

US

To know our mission, it begins with knowing who we are and who God is. This is the most important journey for each of us.

Lent begins in about a month, our Lenten Series is on Les Miserable, a powerful story of FORGIVENESS. In the musical, Jean Valjean is confronted by the tension of his own identity. His real identity is Jean Valjean, but for the last decade or so, he has changed his mind to Monseiur Mandeleine (the Mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer). During that time, a criminal was arrested and the authority believe that he is Jean Valjean. If Jean Valjean, and "inocent man" will serve a jail sentence in place of Jean valjean, but if Jean Valjean claims his true identity, he then must stand in place of the innocent man and serve his rightful sentence. If he turns himself in, many will suffer because they rely on Jean Valjean for their financial support. If he does not turn himself in, only one suffers. What shall he do? His answer is easy, when he realizes he must be true to his real identity, to know thyself, to be who he is.

US

When we are true to our true identity, decisions are easier to make. John the Baptist knew what he had to do, because he knew who he was. Jean Valjean knew what he had to do because he knew who he was.

THOUGHT TO PONDER

Once Jean establishes his identity in his decison making process, he does the right thing and in the musical breaks out in song, "Here I am." In our own lives, perhaps we need to break out in song when we are true to who we are and sing "Here I am (Lord).