ESOCS Devotional 30 November 2024 – Be the Voice
MEMORY VERSE: “He said, I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” John 1:23
TEXT: JOHN 1:19-34
19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
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.”
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, [a]is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”
32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
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The multiplicity of several self-acclaimed voices has only succeeded in increasing the noise in our generation; thereby deafening the ear drums without any corresponding impact in our lives. Many persons claim to have a voice but fail to be the voice; thus, the noise rate have become so alarming and unbearable.
The Priest and Levites were sent by the Jews from Jerusalem to meet John the Baptist in the wilderness in order to have a true identity of his personality. To their greatest dismay, he simply told them that he was not one of the persons they had presumed him to be; rather, he was the voice crying in the wilderness. Note: the metaphoric expression in John’s statement ‘the voice’. The import of this message is that God expects us not just to have a voice but to be ‘the voice’. Not just to function as a voice but to become the functioning voice that our generation is in great need of.
First, we are meant to be “the crying voice”. Cry out and expose the evil in our generation. Cry out and speak against the atrocities being committed even among the Christian folks. Cry out and never be silent to the wickedness against one another, oppression of the helpless and the moral decadence rampaging our world.
Second, God wants us to be the truth speaking voice. We are expected to be the truthful voice even among the comity of lying voice. Stand by the truth always, irrespective of who is involved. This is one voice that is difficult in our generation. We are surrounded by sycophantic liars who scuttle truth and pervert justice.
Thirdly, we have a responsibility to be the direction giving voice. Our world is indeed in great need of direction. There are many persons wallowing in confusion and are directionless. Many have missed their path and are seriously in search of the right way out. God wants us to be that voice that will direct them to the path of destiny. Be the voice that will preach them into salvation.
- Be the voice our generation is looking for.
- Refuse to be carried away with the voice in our world.
- Connect to the supernatural voice, Jesus always.
- Thank you, Lord, for making me the voice of my generation. I declare that I must be heard in my world, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Further Reading: Genesis 37:12-24; Revelation 1:9-end
ESOCS Devotional 30 November 2024
