As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
Mark 1:2 (NASB1995)
As I read today’s verse and pondered the significance of John the Baptist, the messenger spoken about, it triggered an old memory. The messenger carries the message. I remembered the old Scots phrase “going for the messages,” in reference to grocery shopping. As a lad, it was my chore to go for the messages every Saturday morning to the village store.
The store was a small building with green corrugated walls and a roof, and a concrete floor. There were counters on three sides where everything was bought from the shelves behind, served by the storekeeper in his brown storeman’s overall. When it was my turn, I would dutifully hand over my message/list and put my bag on the counter, and he ticked off the groceries as he filled the brown leather bag. I delivered the message to the storekeeper given by mum, he obeyed the message, and I delivered the resulting groceries home. It was a message of preparation for the week ahead at our home.
Dear Reader, John the Baptist, as the messenger going ahead of Jesus, was preparing the way ahead of the Lord. Today, we are messengers just like John, preparing for our Lord’s return someday soon. It is our duty to take the gospel message given to us from God’s Word and deliver it to others to fulfill in their own lives – that they, too, may be ready for Christ’s return. Have you delivered the gospel message to someone recently?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
