Daily Devotional | Step Out of the Spotlight

Do you have a lot of followers on Facebook? Did your last post get dozens of likes? In our social media obsessed world, it is easy to become self-focused. Who among us doesn’t enjoy being the center of positive attention? But God desires leaders who are willing to step out of the spotlight.

In John 3, we meet John the Baptist. He mainly lived on the outskirts of town in the wilderness. The evangelist would have been easy to spot with his camel’s hair clothing and leather belt. If he joined you for lunch, locusts with wild honey would be on the menu (Matt. 3:1–6). John didn’t have a people-pleasing mentality; he called people out on their sins. No one got a hall pass, not even King Herod (Mark 6). John’s mission was to shine the spotlight on Jesus.

In John 3, John’s disciples were playing the comparison game. “That man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him” (v. 26). They urged John to do something. After all, he was losing followers. But John focused on the truth: “I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him” (v. 28). His job was not to gain a name for himself, but to point people to Jesus.

John’s motto in life was, “He must become greater; I must become less” (v. 30). This is a good example for us too. As we turn the spotlight on Jesus, He will become the focus, and the attention placed on us will decrease. God’s unlikely leaders are men and women who know the truth and would rather be off-stage than front and center.

>> How can you turn the spotlight off yourself and instead turn people’s eyes to Jesus? Consider what and why you post on social media. Maybe today you could glorify God by highlighting another individual or organization that is doing His work.

Pray with Us

Search our hearts, Father. Reveal any personal motives that oppose what is holy. Make us ever more like You; cause our words and character to point others to You. You must become greater; we must become less.

BY Dr. Chris Rappazini

Dr. Chris Rappazini believes “the Bible is still relevant, leadership is essential, and the church’s best days are still ahead.” Chris is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the University of Edinburgh, and Gonzaga University. He served as Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies at Moody Bible Institute. Chris and his wife, Ashley, and their children now reside in North Carolina.