Not Worthy

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

NOT WORTHY

Acts 13:23-25

23 "From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.'

NIV

Paul is continuing the history lesson, after discussion of David he moves to the descendant of David, Jesus. But he first has to set the stage with John the Baptist and his words about Jesus. Paul is careful to make sure everything leads to Jesus. He could have just told them about his experience meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, but he gave them the whole truth of why Jesus is the one and only Savior of the world. What lesson can we learn from this part of this history lesson? If John, who was in and of himself a man called by God, filled with the Spirit and did mighty things for God, preaching repentance and make way for the Lord, knew he was not worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus, who do we think we are? Certainly if anyone had any cause to be a little puffed up about who he was, and how God was using him to further his kingdom, it would have been John, or Paul as well for that matter. We should learn not to think more of ourselves then we should. We are but sinners saved by God no matter what kind of service to the Lord we are involved in. First, however, we should consider that John was set apart from his conception for that purpose which God called him to. John did not decide it would be a good idea to be who he was, for it was God who knit him together in his mother’s womb to be who he was, and do what he did. Are we any different than John? God has knit us together in our mother’s womb designing us to be the people we are, for the purpose he has called us to do for the furtherance of his kingdom. We each have a purpose, but that purpose is for God and not for ourselves. John knew he was being used of God, but at the same time he knew he was nothing compared to Jesus, the Son of God. God desires to use us as well, in some way, perhaps not like he used John the Baptist, but he desires to use us, yet we should never assume because he uses us for his purpose that we are any more special than any other. We all are the same, sinners saved by grace. We should not be puffed up, or for that matter envious or jealous of someone who God uses in what appears to be a mightier way than he uses us. None of us, not a single one of us is worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus, no matter how God is using us for his purpose. Who can claim to be worthy? No one! Therefor we should live in humility before our Lord for only he is worthy. The one thing we can certainly be absolutely sure of is that we are not worthy.