John

I know I've written about John the Baptist before.  But I'm reading in Luke again and again he caught my attention.   

A man created by God to fulfill prophesy from years ago.  A remarkable birth and an interesting man.
Not much for fashion and stuck to a raw food diet.  I imagine him the hippie sort in the most respectful way.

John preached hard things and didn't worry about winning friends.  I mean really, you don't gain friends by calling people a brood of vipers.  It's easy to tell that he didn't water down the word or sugar coat it.
He preached it hard and told it like it is.  Before John there were the the prophets and the law.  But John came as the first preacher and the Word says it was "good news".

I thought that was kinda funny b/c the brood of vipers probably didn't consider it good news.  But by the Word people separated themselves as the wheat and the chaff. 

One of the reasons I most admire John was his lack of fear of man.  I wish I had more of that.  Not caring what others think.  Just living my single-minded mission of obeying the work God has called me to. 

John was thrown in prison and later beheaded.  At first glance it would seem a wasted death.  But remembering that Jesus has victory for us over death, John's life was well spent.  Am I spending my life well?  So often I go to bed disappointed over the many ways I messed up that day.  The ways that I was selfish or distracted. 

I want to live my life with the single purpose of loving God and others and not worry about anything else. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Funny, I thought I remembered posting about him before.  Sure enough I did about 4 years ago.  Apparently my thoughts haven't changed much in 4 years!