Safe Haven

 This particular situation might be confusing: two unique people, who seem to have truth from God are both preaching and baptizing. John the Baptist notices that people seem to be more drawn to Jesus. John's disciples notice, too. John the Baptist reminds them and us that he is not the Messiah, but that he was given the task of proclaiming His coming. He uses the analogy of a wedding. In our terms, John the Baptist is saying that he is the best man. The best man's job is to celebrate his friend, the groom, and to do whatever he can to help the guests celebrate and enjoy the wedding. Our culture isn't much different than theirs in this. The best man is usually the closest friend that the man getting married has in the world. Any solid best man will be thrilled for his buddy, and once it's over, his job is done. That's exactly what John the Baptist is saying. There is a fair amount of discussion about whether verses 31 through 36 is still John the Baptist talking, or ...

 The mystery to end them all is this: Jesus came into the world to die for us, because He loves us. The Father sent the Son to us, because He loves us. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit, because He loves us. There is a mystery in the word "believe." What does it mean to believe? It can't be just knowing and acknowledging something to be true. We know of people who know many things to be true, but they choose to do something opposite of what they know to be true. But think about a time that you heard someone say to someone else, "I believe in you." A person who says this has complete trust in that person. They are not saying, "I acknowledge the reality that you exist." They are saying that they trust such a person with something or someone that is very important to them. Believing in Jesus is a total trust that changes how we understand our entire lives. We can trust Jesus with everything that we are. It's a lot like a baseball team that s...