Becoming Less

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

In John Chapter 3, John the Baptist uses the analogy of a wedding to explain his devotion to Jesus. He describes His Savior as the bridegroom and compares himself to a guest at the wedding – having complete joy when he sees his friend.

I love John’s wedding analogy! We all know the wedding is all about the happy couple – no one goes to a wedding to draw attention to self. John describes the friend as “full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.”

We can hear his voice, as we read His Word. We can sense Him speaking to our hearts as we press in before Him in prayer.

Do you know this joy? John says, “That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” This is confirmation of our identity in Christ when we yield the reigns of our life to Him. It’s what Jesus described to Nicodemus earlier in this chapter as being “born again.”

Continuing with the wedding analogy means the “wedding day” is our “born again” day – we receive a new identity in Christ. What comes next is the living in this new identity. That part of our story is not a moment in time, but a continual, joyful (and sometimes painful) journey. It’s one of becoming less…as our desire more and more is to have Jesus become more. Our desire is to make much of Him — to yield, follow, listen, obey, and be transformed. For those who don’t know Jesus, this sounds legalistic, confining, and unnerving. To the follower of Jesus, it is joy unspeakable.

If you are a follower of Christ, how are you allowing Him to work in you and through you? Have you given Him authority over your thought life? Have you checked in with Him on your schedule for today? Do the words on your tongue reflect the change to your heart?

Have you decided to make much of Him today? Are you intentionally praying for more Jesus and less you?

My hubby traveled to Russia on a mission trip in 1993 and brought home a set of Russian nesting dolls. As you open each one, a smaller replica is inside and each gets smaller and smaller. Perhaps this is a great picture of our journey with Jesus. We begin thinking pretty highly of ourselves, but as we walk with Him, we begin to shrink. Our desire becomes more and more to make much of Him and not ourselves.

He must become greater, I must become less.

Are you seeing these changes in yourself? Are you sensing a shift in your thought life and your desires? Is God transforming you through His Word and His Spirit?

I Peter 1:23 says, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Is the spirit of God using the Word of God to bring daily transformation in your life?

If you are not a follower of Christ, would you consider your need for Him? Perhaps like Nicodemus (whose story is found earlier in John Chapter 3) you need to come to Jesus with your questions. He will provide answers. I’m praying today is the day you are “born again” –the day you choose to acknowledge that your sin means you need a Savior, the day you can say with John (and with me), “That joy is mine, and it is now complete.”

Here’s the link to this week’s teaching lecture:

http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/the-gospel-of-john-chapter-3lesson-3/

{Photo attribution: http://legomenon.com/russian-matryoshka-nesting-dolls-meaning.html }