How Can We Prepare Hearts for Jesus?
By Dawn Tolbert
“As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way.’” Mark 1:2
Much of God’s work occurs before we see results as He prepares heart to receive His message of life.
Daddy used to grow a large garden. He’d spend evenings after work or a Saturday preparing the land for planting. Riding his orange Kubota tractor, he’d open the rich soil and then apply just the right blend of fertilizer for the seeds he planned to sow. He knew the lushness of the corn, squash, tomatoes, and okra that would come in the summer needed painstaking preparation.
Today’s verse begins the story of John the Baptist, Jesus’ second cousin, who played a special role in His ministry. He wouldn’t use a tractor, but he would prepare the way for Jesus. He was part of God’s plan, foretold some 700 years prior, to bring salvation to the world.
John came as God’s messenger to proclaim truth and help others see their need for Jesus. In this, he prepared them to receive salvation through God’s Son.
As Christians, we can do the same. True, Jesus is all-powerful and could draw people to Him using a bright light from Heaven. But just as God included John the Baptist in His salvation plan, He chooses to work through us. We show His love to the world through our actions and by telling others what Jesus has done for us, how much He loves them, and how He won the victory over sin and death through His Resurrection.
As we plant seeds of faith by sharing truth and acting in love, we help prepare hearts for Jesus.
Dawn Tolbert is a contributor to Wholly Loved MinistriesDaily Devotional, a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at dawntolbert.com.
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