There comes a point in everyone’s life where they must make a big, life changing decision to either follow what God wants them to do or follow their own desires. These decisions are usually marked in our minds and we can pick out where and when these decisions were made. When Christians make the decision to follow God, they use baptism to symbolically show that they are leaving behind their old, unclean lives and accepting a new, clean life in Christ.
Jesus, who was without sin, was even baptized to show his call to being set apart from the unclean world around him. John the Baptist was challenging the Pharisees and Herod Antipas’ behavior, and he recognized and baptized the Messiah. Later, according to John Chapter 3, John was baptizing at Aenon which is near Salim. He had a large following and it was growing. This part of the Jordan River was chosen by John because of the amount of people that could be baptized at that location. In the shallows of this river John had hit a high point in his ministry, and disciples were repenting and turning from sin to obedience to God. This must have been an exciting time for John and his disciples, they were a part of God moving so many people.
John’s followers brought it to his attention that Jesus, who John had baptized earlier at Bethany, was getting more followers across the Jordan. Aenon became John’s deciding place. John’s own followers thought John would have done something about it, but John did not hold on to pride. He responds to their concerns by telling them this is the one he had been telling them about that was coming! “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30 ESV). John then acknowledges Jesus as the son of God and those that believe in him will have eternal life.
How many of us when put in this kind of situation would want to hold on to our ministry and put our achievements first? It would be easy to try and hold on to what God has obviously blessed and ignore that God wants us to move in a different direction. Have we truly died to sin and become new? This kind of obeciance can be a hard lesson to learn.
There are times in our lives when we think everything is going fine and God wants to pull us in a new direction. We want to hold on to what has been working so well, when God has other plans. Baptism symbolizes obedience to God, and yet we want to hold on to what has been working so well for us, what we think will work best for us. John’s example at Aenon teaches us that not knowing what comes next is OK, and when we have chosen to follow God we are willing to let God’s plan be glorified. As followers of God, we need to be constantly in God’s word and praying so that, like John, we recognize when it is time for change.
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