Tag Archives: John the Baptist

No Compromise

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

Compromise. Good or bad?

We understand compromise is a necessary part of every relationship, but is it ever okay to compromise our beliefs for the sake of a relationship? Should there be a line we draw that says, “I will go this far, and not a step further.”? 

Properties have fences to set their boundaries. Places of business and institutions set boundaries for those within them. Parents set boundaries with their children. So why do we sometimes look at the boundaries set for us in the Bible and believe they are merely something for us to think about, not something to actually stay within?

Reading the account of the beheading of John the Baptist; that honey and locust eating, camel hair wearing, repentance preaching prophet, cousin of Jesus Christ the Messiah, started me thinking about compromise and how far we are willing to bend before we say, “No more. Not now. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not for money. Not for power. Not for favor. Not for prestige.”

John stood up to the religious leaders of the day and called them vipers. He told them their reliance on church membership wasn’t going to get them into heaven. Only repentance and forgiveness through the coming Messiah would get them past the Pearly Gates. This did not endear John to them.

The prophet preached the Truth God gave him to preach regardless of the listener’s fame, fortune, or position.

And that included Herod, which led to John’s death.

John stayed within the boundaries God set. He refused to compromise God’s truth.

He prepared the people’s hearts for the coming Messiah. Hopefully, we are doing the same.

Do we have godly boundaries established we are unwilling to step beyond?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” Matthew 14:3-8 (NIV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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The Refiner’s Fire

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

Okay. I realize this is another post about fire, but believe me…I’m not a pyromaniac, or anything.

During a recent study of the Old Testament book of the prophet Malachi, I rediscovered something I’d learned long ago.

Malachi told the people the Day of the Lord would come. It would be a time when God would judge the sin of unbelievers, he would cleanse his people’s lives, and he would save his people.

In the process, God would refine and purify them like silver and gold.

His judgement against sin would be swift and impartial.

Those who did not fear God and filled their lives with wickedness would receive their just punishment.

Malachi also mentioned God would send his messenger, John the Baptist, to prepare the way of the Lord, Jesus.

Among the fascinating things I relearned during my study were the following:

  • The melting point of silver is about 1,760 degrees Fahrenheit
  • As molten silver is stirred, the lighter impurities rise to the top
  • The refiner scraps the impurities away
  • Not until the refiner sees his reflection in the molten metal is the metal pure and ready for his purposes

For those of us taught about God’s holy refining fire, we understand the illustration to represent our lives which God tests to a very significant degree to remove our impurities.

Jesus is the one who scrapes our impurities away by the power of his sacrificial blood shed on the cross of Calvary, when we accept his gift and claim him as Lord.

 

The part of this lesson which I’d forgotten is the last phase of the refiner’s process…the refiner doesn’t quit refining until he can see his own reflection in the molten silver of our lives shining back at him.

Wow.

Jesus loves us so much he will not leave us partially refined. He is going to keep working on us, stirring us up, removing our impurities until we reflect his image right back at him.

As I prepared to write the word dross, I looked up its definition. Here’s what I found:

1. Waste or impure matter.

2. The scum that forms on the surface of molten metal as a result of oxidation.

3. Worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter.

That’s what Jesus removes from us…our dross.

Worthless, impure scum that forms in our lives as the result of living in this fallen world.

When we are in the midst of the refining process it can be anything but pleasant.

I know.

Tortuous comes to mind.

But as Jesus heats us to 1,760 degrees, stirs us until our head spins and we cry out for relief, perhaps we need to remind ourselves he loves us too much to leave us with a coating of scum covering his reflection.

And really, we don’t want that either, do we?

Do you feel like you’re in the refiner’s furnace?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the Lord‘s messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings. Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the Lord will be pleasing to him, as they used to be in the past. Malachi 3:3-4 (GNT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Sunday Scriptures — Has Jealousy Gotten in the Way?

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Ouch! Guilty. Any other hands raised?

What kept me from sincerely praying for the success of others’ ministries through the years? Jealousy? Was I secretly wishing they’d fail?

Was I the only one who’d ever felt that way? Unfortunately, all I had to do was look at the disciples of John the Baptist, to see I was not.

While John was filled with joy over Jesus’ success, and happy to be the one preparing the way for Christ’s ministry, his disciples were not. John was happy to be the bridegroom’s friend. He did not need to be the main event. He knew his ministry had to decrease, so Jesus’ ministry could increase.

His disciples, on the other hand, were jealous. They considered Jesus a threat to their ministry.

John tried to persuade them differently.

John explained that God appoints each man’s (and woman’s) work. John tried to show his disciples their ministry had already succeeded by pointing people to Christ. John knew he had fulfilled the work God had called him to do. There was no need for jealous competition.

Somewhere, I read that Christians are the only army that shoots its own soldiers.

Is that what we do when we won’t pray for the success of others’ ministries?

What are your thoughts on the subject?

One day someone began an argument with John’s disciples, telling them that Jesus’ baptism was best. So they came to John and said, “Master, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River—the one you said was the Messiah—he is baptizing too, and everybody is going over there instead of coming here to us.”

John replied, “God in heaven appoints each man’s work.”   John 3:25-27 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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