Key Thought

One of the most important questions you will ever answer is this: For whom do I work? No matter what your job or vocation, this is the vital question. Do you work to please yourself? Do you work to plese your boss? Do you work to impress your peers or your superiors? Do you work for God? So much of our angst and frustration comes back to this one crucial point: if we are Christians, we work for God. If we do the work he assigns to us, we don't have to be bitter or jealous about someone else getting the attention. If God is pleased, our life is a success. So let's ask God to reveal his job for us, and then let's go do it with joy and passion.

Today's Prayer

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Father, give me a heart like John the Baptist. I want to find joy and satisfaction in doing your work for my life. Give me a heart that is satisfied with pleasing you. Give me a heart that is freed from envy and jealousy because someone else gets more attention for what they do. When my life is over, dear Father, please help me to have lived in such a way that I can hear your words, "Well done good and faithful servant." In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea. There Jesus stayed with his followers and baptized people. John was also baptizing people in Aenon. Aenon is near Salim. John was baptizing there because there was plenty of water. People were going there to be baptized. (This happened before John was put into prison.) Some of John's followers had an argument with another Jew. They were arguing about religious washing. So the followers came to John. They said, "Teacher, remember the man that was with you on the other side of the Jordan River? He is the man you were telling people about. That man is baptizing people, and many people are going to him." John answered, "A man can get only what God gives him. You yourselves heard me say, 'I am not the Christ. I am only the one that God sent to prepare the way for him.' The bride always belongs to the bridegroom. The friend that helps the bridegroom just waits and listens. He's happy just to hear the bridegroom talk. That's how I feel now. I'm so happy that he (Jesus) is here. He must become more and more important. And I must become less important. "The One (Jesus) that comes from above is greater than all other people. The person that is from the earth belongs to the earth. That person talks about things that are on the earth. But the One (Jesus) that comes from heaven is greater than all other people. He (Jesus) tells what he has seen and heard. But people don't accept what he says. The person that accepts what he (Jesus) says has given proof that God speaks the truth. God sent him (Jesus). And he tells the things that God says. God gives {him} the Spirit fully. The Father loves the Son. The Father has given the Son power over everything. The person that believes in the Son has life forever. But the person that does not obey the Son will never have that life. God's anger stays with that person."

— John 3:22-36 (ERV)

Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.