LESS OF SELF – Part 3
Lessons from John 3:30

““He must become greater; I must become less.”

This is an amazing statement.This was not a one-time comment made at a moment of epiphany. John continually pointed to God and took the focus off of himself. This is obvious in his words in Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John was stunned and insisted that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around.

This verse is not a record of John’s decline, but an important teaching for all us who are followers of Jesus. “He must become greater, I must become less.” John gave us a life principle, a basic tenet of Christianity.

What does it mean to us living in Panama City in the later stages of 2011 when we say, “He must become greater, I must become less”? I believe it means that our basic purpose is to glorify Jesus, rather than pursuing our own self-promotion and self-satisfaction.

I heard someone say once that “Knowing God makes us humble; knowing ourselves keeps us humble.” Imagine how the world would be different if we took to the task of lessening ourselves in order for Christ to become greater.

Most Christians have a common passion to be a source of blessing to those far from the heart of God. But, we are human and we tend to think inward as well as outward. We seek greatness in ourselves which we believe will translate into greatness for God. Who amongst us does not desire to be great? But, as believers we need to be different. We need to glorify Jesus more and more and our self less and less.

Part 4 – The Bottom Line