Gale Sayers insisted: I am third

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Gale Sayers played college and professional football. He was a running back for the Chicago Bears for 7 seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. He was twice picked as All-American. He and a white teammate Brian Piccolo were bosom buddies. They encouraged each other when both were having physical issues. In his biography, I Am Third, Sayers said God is first, others are second, and I am third. John the Baptist had a similar attitude in his relationship to Jesus for whom he was the forerunner. We read in John 1, “This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, ‘Who are you?’ He came right out and said, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ ‘Well then, who are you?’ they asked, ‘Are you Elijah?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Are you the Prophet we are expecting?’ ‘No.’ ‘Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?’ John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: ‘I am a voice shouting in the wilderness. Clear the way for the LORD’s coming!’” (vv. 19–23). This humble attitude of John is a far cry from what we often see in some people today—often from those who suffer inferiority complexes. They try to bolster their ego by making claims about themselves that may or may not be true. Yet the Scriptures say, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (from James 4:10).