You are more than what you may think you are!

Do you ever think you haven’t accomplished all that you wanted to accomplish? Do you ever doubt your life? The circumstance that you are in now is it what you had hoped for? Do you ever feel that there is some hypocrisy attached to you? What people see and who you really are. How have things worked out for you?

For John the Baptist, now in prison and who would never be released, death being very near, these are his thoughts. “Is this the Messiah?” “Will he rescue me if he is?”

John’s disciples are leaving and Jesus addresses the crowd and speaks about John.

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind?” (Matthew 11 v 7)

This rhetorical question of Jesus is a wonderful accolade of John and would be a huge encouragement. What Jesus says about you is always far greater than even what you say about you!

Everyone knows where John is. Imprisoned by Herod Antipas (4 BC-39 AD).

Previously John was in the wilderness calling people to repent for the Kingdom was near.

Crowds went out to see him. Many became his disciples. But look at him now.

Was John following the latest fad, speaking the latest teaching, regurgitating what others were saying? Was he simply a showman? With no depth?

The emblem of Herod Antipas was printed on his own coins. The emblem was a reed!

Isn’t Jesus so clever?!

Who was a reed blowing in the wind? It wasn’t John. Don’t look at his circumstance in that way. John is where he is because of his resolve. He wasn’t afraid to speak up, to say the truth and challenge injustice. He isn’t tossed around like the wind. Not John. Now Herod on the other hand ….!

Friends, look at your predicament today. Look at your problem. It isn’t perfect right? It’s not what you hoped for. But that doesn’t make you weak or a lesser of an individual, a second class disciple. You may have doubts and all kinds of emotions because of your circumstance. However, what Jesus says about you is greater. You are not like others who are in better circumstances but blown here and there. You are strong. You are determined. You are a man/woman of faith and are still following the Messiah!