Daily Lesson for February 17, 2015

Today's daily lesson comes from John chapter 1 verses 19 and 20:

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

Have you ever known someone with a Messianic Complex?  Usually, when we think of someone with a Messianic or Christ Complex, we think of people with dangerously grandiose delusions about themselves and their purpose in the world.  Jim Jones and David Koresh 
immediately come to mind.

But we can all fall prey to the temptation of Christ Complex -- seeing ourselves on a heroic journey to save of some person or group.

Most of us, especially we males, grew up thinking we would be a part of saving the world. We were all going to go over to Russia and fight that guy Dolph Lundgren and protect the honor of mom and apple pie. It was cute and good - at about age 10.

But it's not so cute or good at age 30.  At some point, usually in our late 20s, we start seeing that we are not the messiah. We begin to realize there are people and institutions we just aren't going to be able to save. Those who don't see this only end up frustrating themselves and disappointing others. 

John came preaching at about age 30.  He was charismatically gifted, morally convicted, and also courageous. People were mesmerized by John; and it would have been so easy for him to accept their expectations of him as the Messiah.  But he refused to do that.  "I am not the Christ," he kept saying.

To know there is a Christ -- that is one thing; to know that I am not Him -- that is another.  Both are necessary.