I believe that my success will be determined not by my will or strength or personality, but
through recognizing that God is faithful to his promises, that His grace calls me to constant
repentance, and that His gospel should humble me to the point where every virtue I develop is
developed in order to make much of Jesus. I want to live the kind of life Paul wrote about to the
Galatians, when he wrote in 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.”

For further consideration:

What is the advantage of having four gospels, all telling essentially the same story? How does
John the Baptist function as a transitional figure from the Old Testament to the new covenant?
How do John’s lifestyle and preaching style compare with current notions of how to gain a
following and grow a church? Why do you think John gained a large following? What was his
message? How did that message eventually contribute to his death? What things in your life need
to change in order for you to make much of Jesus? How are we to approach conversations with
people who think differently than we think? How do we articulate a biblical worldview with grace
and humility and avoid arrogance and obstinance?