“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” — John 3:29-30
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With more than half the season behind us, NFL teams are fighting for playoff spots. Coaches and team leaders are likely reminding players to avoid distractions, put aside selfish concerns, and keep the big picture in mind by remembering the ultimate goal of getting to the Super Bowl and winning it. Players shouldn’t be worried about who gets the most receiving or rushing yards, or who gets the most sacks or interceptions. The goal is to get enough team victories to get into the playoffs and then be able to enjoy a victory parade when everything is finished. They need to keep their eyes on the prize, not on themselves.
In the Bible, Elizabeth and Zechariah had prayed to have children, but many years passed and they felt they were too old to have children. So they went about their business and continued to serve the Lord. It was a complete surprise one day when Zechariah, a priest, fulfilled his duties in the temple and an angel spoke to him. “When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John'” (Luke 1:12-13).
It seemed too good to be true, and Zechariah didn’t believe the angel’s prediction about his wife having a baby. So the Lord did not allow him to speak until John was born as a lesson to always believe what God says. “The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time'” (Luke 1:19-20). It would take a miracle for this promise to come true, but Zechariah would have been aware of God doing many miracles since he was a priest and expert on the Old Testament.
Zechariah and Elizabeth prepared to celebrate the birth of this bundle of joy as many parents do, but their baby, who would be called John the Baptist, would not live for himself. Instead, John would do everything in order to prepare the way for Christ. Before John was born, he leaped in his mother’s womb because somehow he knew he was in the presence of the Messiah in the virgin womb of Mary. “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:39-41).
As John grew up, he learned to be strong and brave, and he spent his life bringing as many people as possible close to Jesus so that they might know Him and receive salvation. When John communicated with people, he didn’t want them to focus on him; he stressed the importance of putting all their attention on Christ. “You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:28-30).
John understood the big picture and knew the ultimate goal. His eyes were not on himself, but on the One it’s all about. He kept his eyes on the prize, in every way that mattered.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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