He Must Increase, We Must Decrease

-February 18, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

(John 3:30).

John the Baptist was a great man of God and prophet. He was the forerunner of Christ. He knew his ministry and performed it well. When the Jews sent priests and Levites to question him, Who are you? He responded, “I am not the Christ.” When questioned still further about himself, he responded, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.” He added, “I baptize you with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am unworthy to loose.”

John the Baptist pointed people to Jesus. He said of Jesus in John 1:29, …”Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He sensed his own unworthiness and Jesus’ worthiness. When we come to Christ, we must come humbly before Him. The Lord shows that we are sinners and need to be saved. As we grow in Christ, we sense our own vileness and sinfulness. The more we know Him, the more we to Him, and give Him our whole hearts.

As He increases, we decrease. We recognize how great He is, and how little we are. There is a beautiful hymn written by Theodore Monod that says, “O the bitter shame and sorrow, that a time could ever be; When I let the Savior’s pity plead in vain, and proudly answered: ‘All of self and none of Thee!’ Yet He found me; I beheld Him bleeding on th’ accursed tree, heard Him pray: ‘Forgive them Father!’ And my wistful heart said faintly, ‘Some of self and some of Thee!’ Day by day His tender mercy, healing, helping, full and free; Sweet and strong and, ah so patient, brought me lower, while I whispered, ‘Less of self and more of Thee!’ Higher than the highest Heaven, deeper than the deepest sea, Lord, Thy love at last has conquered; Grant me now my spirit’s longing: ‘None of self and all of Thee!’”

May each of us strive to decrease so that He would increase. Let others see Jesus only in our lives. Have a blessed day pointing others to Christ in word and deed. Stay safe and healthy.

Going lower to lift Jesus higher,

Dean