John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
John 1, in a powerful yet concise way, answers the question of who Jesus Christ is and why He came. Jesus Christ is God-Eternal. Jesus Christ is God-Almighty. Jesus Christ is God-Incarnate. Often we are so stuck on ourselves and "discovering" who we are that we miss the truth of who Jesus Christ is. The way to most clearly see yourself is to clearly see Christ! When compared to the mighty truths of John 1, who I am just doesn't measure up or matter much at all!
The story of John the Baptist exemplifies the type of self-awareness we should have. John had a large voice and a large following; but when asked, "Who art thou?" he was honest about the answer. "I am not the Christ." Obviously the inquirers thought he might be the Messiah, but it wasn't about John. It was all about Christ!
When you try to see yourself by comparing yourself to others, you are buying into something contrived and empty. In other words, you can make yourself look any way you want by comparing yourself to a certain person. This "big fish in a small pond" mentality will only go so far and will leave you empty. You can't clearly see yourself when you are looking at other people!
Have you ever been impressed with something you have done, only to be outdone by the person you are talking to? Maybe you have just finished a tour of our country's landmarks, but your neighbor just returned from Paris, London, and Cairo! Trying to win the battle of self is always a losing battle, whether by despair or pride. Instead, if you will see Christ like John saw, you will have the proper estimation of yourself and of the Lord.
Later in the third chapter of John, John the Baptist says those famous words, "He must increase, but I must decrease." A proper view of Christ will produce a proper view of yourself. John was not unimportant; he was forerunner for God the Son. John's importance came because of who Christ was. The truth is, Jesus Christ "was made flesh, and dwelt among us. . . ." Thank God that He sent His Son, and by clearly seeing the Son, we can clearly and honestly see ourselves.
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