He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease

I have been meditating on John 3 where Jesus began baptising and some Jews had a problem with it. If you know the story, then you know that John the Baptist baptized Jesus. So, when all the people started flocking to Jesus to be baptized, the Jews in their ignorance wanted John to be upset and indignant that someone was "stealing his shine" for lack of a better phrase.

For those who may not know, John the Baptist was a fore runner for the Messiah. He went ahead of Jesus preaching repentance, baptizing and announcing His coming kingdom. So when the Jews approached John, he could have used that opportunity to puff himself up, to divert from his assignment and seek to hold on to a false glory of his own. If he did not understand his assignment and the importance of decreasing so that Jesus could increase, he could have used that moment to condemn the Lord and defend territory that had been solely his not too long before. Instead, he submitted to his own displacement, understanding that in order for the Son of God to be glorified, he had to humble himself.

We are finite vessels. That means that our capacity has a definite limit. We can only hold so much. At any given point in time, the degree to which we allow Jesus to be Lord in our lives, determines how much rule our flesh has over us. Meaning, if there's more of us, there will be less of Him and vice versa. We MUST decrease if we want more of Him.

When His Lordship increases, our flesh has to decrease. Decreasing involves understanding our need of God. In other words, it requires being poor in spirit. It means laying aside our will for His. It means that we do not seek to be seen. It means that we understand that we are like stars reflecting a superior and more glorious light: the Son. He is the reason and the occasion for all that we do. We seek no glory for ourselves because we understand that if JESUS is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself.

I ask you today (in as much as I ask myself) How can you decrease in this season of your life? How can you become less in each area of your life so that Christ can be Lord of that area?

Let's spend some time in prayer asking God where we need to decrease and then be still in reflection, allowing Him to show us those areas of our lives. (I've listed a few below). Next, let's spend some time in prayerful repentance and ask the Lord to grant us the grace to decrease, to humble ourselves under His almighty hand.

Some of the areas the Lord may highlight to us are:

Our devotion to Him

Relationships

Finances

Purpose

Eating habits

Schedule

Career

Speech

Now that He has highlighted some areas to us, let us ask for His word to be illuminated in us so that we may ascribe to Him ALL the glory that is due His name, knowing that when we lift Him up (in our hearts and before others), He will draw all men to Himself.

Finally, write down some actionable steps that you can take to increase the Lordship of Jesus in your life.

I look forward to connecting with you soon.

With love,

Riana

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