Key Passage: John 1:19-28

Topic: Worship/Praise/Worthiness; Speech/Words

He [John] said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." (John 1:23, ESV)

You may think of cheerleaders as loud or cute, entertaining to watch, or unnecessary and distracting. But whatever your preference, it's not likely they'll be going away any time soon. Why? Because they play a role when it comes to hyping up a crowd.

Sporting events are not about cheerleaders or mascots. They're all about the teams competing. So anyone decked out in the team colors or a big furry costume--like a cheerleader or a mascot--is there for the sole purpose of pointing to the team, getting people excited about the team, and applauding the skills of the team.

John's role in life was to point people to Jesus Christ. He did this in his words, his actions, and the way he shifted any attention from himself back to Jesus. As popular as he was, John knew who deserved the spotlight and he willingly gave credit where it was due.

So what about you? If you don't know Jesus personally, what things are distracting you from being fully focused on Him? If you do have a relationship with Jesus, are you being a cheerleader for Him in the way you live? Are you directing all the attention back on Jesus?

It's not bad to watch the cheerleaders, but listen to what they say and focus on the one they're cheering.