Prepare

John the Baptist made his days count. He lived life “plain and simple”–camel hair clothes and a leather belt; roasted locusts (surely, he didn’t eat them raw) and wild honey to eat. But what impresses me most is that John the Baptist was a man who knew his purpose. He was on earth to prepare the world for Jesus, and he never wavered. He lived with a spiritual focus. Isn’t that the kind of life you want to live?

Why did God put you on this earth? What’s your purpose? Some people live their entire lives trying to figure out what their entire life was supposed to be about. They come to the end wondering where they should have started. It’s not that they didn’t live well. Many have a stack of achievements. They can explain what they did and how they did it; they just can’t explain the “why.”

In the past few weeks, the world has been engulfed in a crisis that started with a terrorist attack on Israel and its response. We have seen Israel’s “Iron Dome” fend off a barrage of rockets from Hamas and Hezbollah militants. We have watched Israel striking back at the terrorists’ stronghold in the Gaza Strip. More recently, Israel has sent in ground troops maneuvering through underground tunnels determined to find the enemy and in hopes of rescuing innocent hostages. This war is being fought in the air and on the ground. Our greatest enemy, the devil, fights against us on the same two fronts.

C. H. Spurgeon pastored in London in the 1800s. His writing is relevant and straight to the point. In a book called An All-round Ministry, Spurgeon exhorts believers to do something that counts for Jesus.

Show people how he lived. Tell people what he said. Explain to people why he died.

They knew that this child was destined for a special assignment, “for the Lord’s hand was with him.”

Be willing to answer the hard questions. Fighting together is a position of strength.

God, prepare me to prepare this child for what you want them to be. Prepare me so I can prepare them for your calling and mission.

Thank God for the challenges of today that are preparing you for tomorrow.