Peekaboo... I See YOU!
Monday, June 9, 2025
“When people look inside, will they see a life that is dead to all things, save the life of Christ revealed?” – Os Hillman
One of the unsung heroes in Scripture is John the Baptist.
He lived a spartan life in the wilderness, dressing in camel hair clothes and getting by on a diet of locusts and wild honey. The honey sounds delicious, but I’ll pass on the locusts, thank you very much.
John was called to preach repentance and after a slow start, his ministry started picking up steam. So much so, as a matter of fact, that people were streaming from Jerusalem to see what was going on. Some of them were legitimately seeking God, but others were merely gawkers.
And then there were the spies, sent by the Pharisees to see what John was up to and who he claimed to be.
“Are you the Christ?” they asked him. When he said no, they asked him again if he was Elijah or one of the other prophets. Once more, John denied being anyone or anything other than “a voice crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the LORD.”
John understood full well that he was simply the warm-up act (in show business lingo) for the main attraction. “I baptize with water,” he said, “but there stands One among you … whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
Soon, Jesus arrived on the scene and after initially refusing to baptize Him because of his feelings of unworthiness, John relented at His Master’s command. Shortly thereafter, the crowds gathered around him began to thin out and start following Jesus instead.
When John’s disciples complained to him about this passing of the torch, John answered with one of the greatest lines in all of human history. “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease,” he said.
My friend, if there is one sentence that best describes the Christian life, the process of sanctification, and my absolute heart’s cry, that would be it.
“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14 (NKJV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
