Receive

Matthew 3: 4: And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5: Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6: And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

When we prepare ourselves to prepare others to meet Jesus, they will come. We need to be ready to receive them. John was focused in his preparation even down to the way he dressed and what he ate and where they could find him. Maybe a little readiness to receive could increase helping others meet Jesus.

A workplace situation accentuated this dramatically to me. After hiring a new staff, member, he was given special accommodation to work at home in replacement for going on his prior planned honeymoon. This cause quite a stir among staff, who thought it was unfair to them. Maybe, if I had taken the time to communicate the arrangements to some key colleagues there would not have been as much gossip. That little bit of extra work on my part to receive him the way he came and prepare other colleagues could have gone a long way and prevented me from having to do cleanup communications and clarifications post-gossip.

ACT! Are you ready to receive? Can people find you? Do they know you are ready? Put out a signal today. Maybe drop a hint to someone that there is forgiveness at your door in Jesus.

PRAY! Holy Father, help me think about my personal holiness in You. Help me prepare myself internally so others will see You externally. Overshadow my inadequacy with Your love so that others can come to Jesus through me.