Such a lovely study this fine day!
I was reading in John 1 today, and was impressed with John's response to the pharisees who came to question him during his preaching. They ask him who he is, why he's baptizing, and what on earth he is doing in the wilderness: "Who are thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?" (John 1:22) I'd probably be wondering the same thing- some dude out in the boonies eating bugs, dunking people in water. Kinda odd, if you think about it. However, instead of questioning who he is, or trying to come up with some kind of elaborate explanation, John knows exactly who he is and why he's there:
"I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, making straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esais." (John 1:23)
Man. I love that answer. John knows that he is there as a messenger of God the Father, there to prepare the hearts and minds of his fellow man to receive Christ as the savior and redeemer of the world. There was a lot of corruption, some apostasy, and just plain confusion about the word of God at the time. The Pharisees and other groups were so wrapped up in the little actions of the gospel, that many of them had no idea why they were actually doing what they were doing. But because John recognized his role in relation to both Christ and Heavenly Father, he was able to help others recognize truth for themselves and get ready for Christ's arrival.
I loved that question that the pharisees asked John: "What sayest thou of thyself?" made me think of my own questions:
Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I believe?
Am I living up to my potential? Am I loving the journey?
Am I faithfully, willingly, and lovingly living and keeping my covenants?
Do I understand my role as a disciple of Christ?
Do I understand who I am as a child of God?
I may still be in my process of figuring out the answers to all of these, and many more questions- but I love the example that John is in this chapter. I love that he boldly states exactly who he is, how he understands his role in God's plan, and is excited to share his knowledge and testimony of Christ with everyone around him. I want to get there. I know I can- I know I can develop my eternal vision (my jarvis, if you will), and discover who it is God wants me to be in the process.
Thank you so much for the wonderful studies- I love ya!
Emily
Ooh, this is pretty cool. I prepared a lesson a while back (I can't remember if I told you about it) where I became fascinated with what we are supposed to do the moment in our battle that we have nothing left. We are so beaten up and empty and as low as the earth. And unfortunately, that is where Satan comes to tempt us (like after Christ had been fasting, or after Moses saw God and creations and visions and then fell to the earth weak). As I looked at story after story in the scriptures, I noticed that what the awesome prophets and apostles did in those moments to fight their battle was simple: testify of God, Jesus Christ, and themselves as children of God. That's it. Knowing who we are, who God is, and who Christ is is all we really need. We need other things to help us know that, but really, that knowledge is a the core of everything. This ties perfectly in with what John did--he knew who he was, his role, and he asserted that in moments where people questioned, doubted, or even attacked him. We are in the process of developing these truths. They get stronger as we got through experiences, and I have a feeling that we need them to be ever so strong with how the world is going. But we are doing it. I'm proud of us. Thanks for the study. It helped me remember that the simple truths are the most important. Love ya!
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