What Do You Aspire To?
“You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’” John 3:28
Did John ever secretly wish he could follow Jesus around instead of always pointing everyone to Jesus? I don’t mean he was jealous—I’m sure he was quite willing to play second fiddle. His whole life and ministry were caught up in proclaiming Christ, making people ready to receive the Son of God.
But let’s face it—all the good stuff was happening around Jesus. The miracles. The crowds. The weddings. The accolades. (The pain—but that was later.) All the action took place in Jesus’ ministry. The Bible doesn’t record any time that John followed Jesus, participating in the teachings, the feedings, the salvations. He didn’t get to be with Him and lay hands on people and pray for them. In fact, speaking out against sin earned him prison and beheading shortly after baptizing the One he was proclaiming.
John the Baptist was chosen and anointed with a high calling, and he knew it. As for whether he wished he could take a few days off to follow Jesus around, to see the fruits of his own labors in pointing the world to Christ, we don’t know.
Do we know our high calling in Christ? Do we know what God has prepared for us to do, and most importantly—are we doing it? Do we aspire to our own personal God-ordained calling in Christ, whatever that may be?
Or are we secretly jealous of someone else’s ministry? Do we wish we were leaders? Do we think the most important thing would be to pray and see someone healed? Do we want a more visible presence in the Body?
Assistant Pastor Romaine of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (back in the early 80’s) worked directly under Senior Pastor Chuck Smith. He wrote a book called Second explaining the submitted heart necessary to serve under a prominent Bible teacher. He knew his calling to be precisely himself. He knew his position was to assist, not to lead.
This reminds me of John the Baptist, and it reminds me of what our own hearts should be. We are to do what we’ve been prepared to do by God. I have personal experience with aspiring to be what I am not—and I’ve been taken down a notch because of it. I value those lessons greatly. I’m glad I was not successful in those endeavors to reach an arbitrary “higher calling.”
There is no higher calling than to be in Christ, doing exactly what we are called to do. “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house” (Hebrews 3:1-2).
Lord, may we aspire to be all that You have called us to be in Christ, for the benefit of this world, and to Your glory. Help us to be faithful and diligent.
The times I have wondered why someone else has something I don’t (talent, looks, the devotion of others, kids who walk with Jesus), I have learned to rephrase Jesus’ words to Peter in John 21:22 to something like, “If I want to give them social skills, charm and the love of many, what is that to you? You must follow Me.” He has given me so much, and HE is the one who has delivered me into the kingdom of God. Let my eyes rest ever and only on Him and His will for me.
Amen, very insightful.
I attended Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in the early ’80’s and was seeking counsel regarding a very close friend that I had a relationship with who was not a Believer and had wanted to see Pastor Chuck, however, Pastor Romaine was the one who was available to sit with me in the Sanctuary and help me with my concern about praying and witnessing to this person. I have to say I was disappointed that it wasn’t Pastor Chuck. I will never forget Pastor Romaine’s advice: “you need to get out of the way and just continue to pray, and trust that the Lord has heard your prayers and He will be the One to draw this person to Himself, in His time, not yours.” Difficult to do and through this experience I learned that we may be placed in someone’s life to be the “light”, but it is God who will do the work, and sometimes it will be “the assistant servant’ who shows us the way.