The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Devotion based on Luke 3:15,16

Do you enjoy having attention on you? We like it when people recognize our achievements. It makes us feel good when people turn to us for help or answers because they think we’re knowledgeable.

In the time just prior to Jesus beginning his public ministry, many people’s eyes were on John the Baptist as he came to prepare the way for Jesus. They wondered if John was the Messiah, the Savior God had promised. If I were John, it may have puffed up my ego that people thought so highly of me. But when all the attention was on John, he humbly shifted the focus where it needed to be—on Jesus. The momentary ego boost that came from being mistaken for the Messiah would have quickly been extinguished by the reality that John couldn’t even save himself. Instead, real joy came through humility, which allowed John to look away from himself to see his Savior, Jesus.

The same is true for you and me. Real joy comes through humility that looks away from self, achievements, and failures to see the One who is greater—Jesus. There is real joy in recognizing that the burden of our salvation doesn’t rest on us. Real joy comes when you realize Jesus humbled himself to the point of death to cleanse you from sin and give you the joy of salvation.

Prayer: