Day 176

1 Kings 13–14 | Matthew 3

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John the Baptist never tried to take center stage.

He simply cleared it for the One who truly belongs there.

He dressed strangely. Ate sparsely. Preached fiercely.

But everything about his ministry was about preparing.

“I baptize you with water for repentance,” he said, “but He who is coming after me is mightier than I…” (Matthew 3:11)

John wasn’t the Savior.

He was the forerunner.

A voice in the wilderness making hearts ready for the King.

Not through spectacle.

But through faithfulness.

A Day of Seemingly Small Things

Yesterday, I led four boys through VBS.

It was quiet. Manageable.

Today? Ten showed up.

And I’m convinced at least seven of them were mid-game in their minds the entire time, because they talked baseball from drop-off to pick-up.

Even our lesson on Jericho somehow turned into a conversation about walk-off homers, ground-rule doubles, and which MLB players might be able to “take Jesus deep.”

Then tonight, I spent the evening with our college ministry—laughing over a board game called Smells Fishy, where everyone fabricates answers and one person has to spot the truth.

If you watched my day from the outside, it might’ve seemed light. Silly. Maybe even pointless.

But later, as the house quieted and I prayed for each of those ten boys and those college students by name, I realized:

Even conversations that start with baseball or trivia can become kindling for something holy.

Not because I orchestrated it perfectly.

But because the Holy Spirit is always cultivating deeper soil than I can see.

The Message Still Stands

John’s message was one of repentance.

So was the anonymous prophet’s in 1 Kings 13—sent to call out sin, even at great personal cost.

The road to Jesus is still paved the same way.

Through truth.

Through courage.

Through preparation.

It’s not always dramatic.

Sometimes it’s a gentle question. A consistent presence. A quiet prayer.

But God uses these moments to ready hearts.

To loosen the soil.

To make way for the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Faithfulness in the Hidden Work

I won’t pretend to know what today meant in the long run.

Not for those boys.

Not for those college students.

But I know this: God is preparing hearts—even when it looks like nothing’s happening.

And while it might seem like I’m just swapping baseball stats or bluffing through trivia games, He’s doing something eternal beneath it all.

Because the goal isn’t to be impressive.

It’s to be faithful.

To be a voice.

To be a presence.

To point to the One who saves.

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Lord, thank You for using even the small, seemingly silly, surface-level moments to prepare hearts for something eternal. Help me show up with joy, patience, and trust—not to perform, but to prepare. Make me faithful in the hidden work. And soften hearts—starting with mine—for the coming King. Amen.