I’ve eaten lots of humble pie in my adult lifetime. During the time, each piece didn’t taste too good. But later, upon reflection, allowing the Lord to use all kinds of experiences in my life, the taste improved. It moved from bitter, to tolerable, to nourishing and then good for me. There were those years when I pastored a church of over 600 members, the most prestigious church in town, with growth all around including adding an assistant pastor to the staff within my first year. I was publishing articles in lots of Christian magazines, I was moving up the ladder, I was just plain full of myself! And then, the rug was pulled out from under me, the rungs of the ladder I was climbing up just fell apart and my feet let go. And humpty-dumpty came a tumblin’ down! I was hurt. I was bitter. I was cast afloat in an unknown sea on a boat full of holes. That was over 30 years ago now, and seems like someone else’s story. Not mine– for I’ve learned that humble pie is good for the soul when the pie I was eating acted like poison for me. I thank the Lord for a hard fall, because He was underneath catching me and cradling me in His arms, placing me upright to go forward for Him this time, for His purposes this time, for His glory this time. This time proved to be better time. This pie nourishes and satisfies. Have you had such an experience? Maybe you’re in one now. Possibly, you know someone likewise hurt and hurting. Don’t be afraid of disappointments and failures in life. The Lord will use them for His purposes in a most cleansing way. You’ll be surprised, as I was, at His grace even on the darkest of nights, even when your stomach just can’t stop churning with fear from the unknown. By the way, have you read those verses in the Gospel of John yet? They’re about John the Baptist. And a verse that I’ve read hundreds of times just flew at me off the pages of my Bible this morning. It’s verse 20. Read it now, if you would. John the Baptist is a genuinely humble man. Just think about all the thousands of people who have left the big city of Jerusalem to come out into the desert to hear him preach. All the converts…all those who repented…all who were baptized. Seemed like just everyone was going to him. I wonder how I would have felt with that kind of response going on? Probably would have gone to my head, sorry to say! But not John, the other one, the Baptist. No, verse 20 makes it crystal clear who he is not. The Greek of this verse is extremely complex, the wording however is as clear as a bell–you ask him who he is and he states without a doubt confessing and likewise denying and then confessing again that he is not the coming Messiah, that Jesus is the One and Only Son Of God, the Anointed One. John is but a voice, a spokesman for the Prophet who brings God’s truth to the world. He baptizes while Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin and the sin of the world, then and now. John knows who he is. He’s a voice. He’s comfortable being the voice who tells of the One coming. And that’s humble pie for each of us. To tell of Jesus. To testify of Him. To praise Him and pray to Him. To love Him no matter where we are or the circumstances we find ourselves in. No matter what, we lift up His name–not mine or yours but His. Hmn…that’s good pie! Humble pie ala mode! Pass me another piece, will you?!