"[Jesus] must become greater; I must become less" John 3:30.
If you live in the northern hemisphere, you know that since June 21 the days are getting shorter. The sun goes down a little earlier each day. For some people, this is depressing. The light, warmth, and growth will begin to fade.
But some people, like us turkey hunters, look forward to the cooler weather and fall colors. One season must fade away so the glories of another season can become greater.
John the Baptizer said something like this about Jesus' ministry. John's followers were becoming jealous of the many people following Jesus. They were concerned for the status of their own leader.
But John understood that his ministry simply had prepared the way for Jesus' earthly ministry. It was time for John's ministry to recede in the face of the greater ministry of Jesus.
We are often like John's disciples, wanting our service in God's kingdom to make us great. Our sinful human nature yearns for the prestige of being thought of as spiritually knowledgeable and a strong churchman. We feed on other people's compliments on our hard work in the congregation and understanding of the Bible and how we can wisely apply divine truth to situations. What a huge temptation it is to glory in our appointed positions in the congregation.
Thankfully, God sends us His Holy Spirit so that we can grow in the desire that our works of service bring more glory to Jesus and less attention to ourselves! The third person of the Holy Trinity points us to the death and resurrection of Jesus as humanity's only help and hope, so that we can point others to Jesus and His work of salvation.
St. Paul wrote, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord" (1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17).
May we continue to pray that others will give heart-felt glory to God because of the way we think, speak, and act. All glory to God and Him alone!
-Dale
