John 3:27-28 “They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.”
The disciples of John come to their leader, raising a valid concern about their ministry- Jesus, the new preacher in town, was pulling more crowds that their leader John, and if anything was not done, even those in their Ministry would begin to follow him. Perhaps they came expecting John to panic, say something out of tune or demeaning of the new ministry in an attempt to justify the dwindling numbers in their following or even take drastic measures in an attempt to stem the tide in a competitive overdrive.
To their disappointment, he does not react in any of those ways- in fact, his answer doesn’t appear to instil the kind of confidence they may have been expecting. But John is a man who understands that his life is one of stewardship, and nothing he has really belongs to him, it has been given to him. Those followers were given to him by God in the first instance, and as a steward his duty was to manage on behalf of the real owner, not to hold on to.
When you think of your life, career, spiritual and natural gifts, wealth, children and all you hold on to and determine it’s your own, does it ever occur to you that’s not really true?
Shalom!!!