“Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. When he was finishing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the Christ. He is coming later, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals.’ Fellow children of Abraham and those of you who worship God, it is to us that this message has been sent.” (Acts 13:24-26)
It’s difficult for humans to repent because we don’t want to admit we did anything wrong. Like many twenty-somethings, new to the workplace, I felt I had to prove myself. I worked hard to be perfect and expected perfection from others. Without realizing it, I wanted to be God and didn’t realize I needed a savior.
John the Baptist realized no one could be perfect, so he showed people they needed a savior. Jesus can’t help us if we don’t think we need him, so John made us see the need to repent.
We should ask ourselves, “Who do you think you are?” Do we think we’re perfect like God or unworthy to untie Jesus’ sandals? It’s only when we answer with the latter that we realize we need Jesus to save us. We can’t fly ourselves to heaven, forgive our own wrongdoings, or live our best lives without Him.
When you plan your day, be bold and think of ways Jesus can help you and don’t forget to praise Him.
Father, I praise you for sending Jesus to save me. Point out my errors so I can repent. Help me encourage my loved ones and coworkers when they make a mistake to motivate them to try again. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.