Verse of the Day 9/11

Through the Bible - Proverbs 21-22, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1   Good morning, Yesterday we considered what it means to be an ambassador for Christ and the goal of bringing the message to others, desiring to bring others into the kingdom.   In today's NT reading Paul gives some instructions on how we are to live in order to carry out our commision.   2 Cor 6:16-17But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way: "I'll live in them, move into them; I'll be their God and they'll be my people. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good," says God. "Don't link up with those who will pollute you. (from THE MESSAGE) Many today desire to have "celebrity status", to be with the "in crowd".   This morning I read a portion of John 1 about John the Baptist.  He drew a following, but it was not because he wore the right clothes and hung out at the popular places.  He wore drab, coarse camels hair clothing and ate locusts.  But he was living true to his calling. For today's verse we'll go to John 1.   John 1:22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said:"I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  NKJV Rather than claiming himself to be a celebrity, someone important John the Baptist referred to himself as a "voice of one crying in the wilderness".  John MacArthur writes that "in answering the delegations questions about his identity, he shifted focus away from himself and onto Christ.  His quote of Isaiah 40:3 "Make straight the way of the Lord", was a challenge both to the nation and to his questioners to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah." He continues, "The imagery is of a road being leveled and smoothed our in preparation for the visit of an Eastern king.  John and Isaiah likened the hearts of Messiah's people to a desolate wilderness, through which a smooth, level road needed to be prepared for His coming.  John was the laborer, preparing the road in advance of the king."   Isn't it the same for us today?  We are many but each of us is one voice.   As Christians, we should not be so concerned about who we are.  It is more a question of "whose" we are.  Our lives need to point to that, trying to clear the path for His second coming. In Christ, Mike   John 1:19-29 The Testimony of John the Baptist 19 This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, "Who are you?" 20 He came right out and said, "I am not the Messiah." 21 "Well then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "No," he replied. "Are you the Prophet we are expecting?" "No." 22 "Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Clear the way for the Lord's coming!'" 24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, "If you aren't the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?" 26 John told them, "I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27 Though his ministry follows mine, I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal." 28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.  NLT