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Day 2 John 1:19-34 John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What say thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptize thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there stands one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Everyone has a record. Some are more known than others. Especially if you run for political office, or get into trouble with the law. If you ever Googled yourself, you can see what the public knows about you. It can be interesting. The Pharisees went to John the Baptist. They wanted to know who he was. John told him, his record spoke about who he was. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Messiah. He could also lay claim to knowing who the Son of God was because he was a witness to Jesus, not only because he was Jesus’ cousin, but John knew Jesus when he was in his mother’s womb. Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. As Christians, you have the convenience of looking at Scripture to see the prophecies written about John the Baptist, and how God prepared for the moment when John would prepare His people for the day when Jesus, his Son, our Messiah, would begin his ministry. Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. What has God declared about you? What is your record in the kingdom of God? Your record began before God created the world. Everything you did or will do is written in the record book of heaven. Psalm 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (KJV) Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. You might not know your record, but God does. He brought you to the place you are today. You are his witness to what God has done in your life. John’s record spoke about God’s purpose for him, and he fulfilled his purpose. You will fulfill your purpose. You might not know what your purpose is, but that’s okay. God will reveal it to you at the right time. For now, proclaim what God has done for you. Let’s pray: Father, thank you that nothing in my life is hidden from you. You knew me before the foundation of the world, and wrote my life down in your book. Help me be a witness to what you did in my life in bringing me to you, and help me be a witness to what you will do in my life in fulfilling your purpose for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 3 December 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay