Part 8 – John 3

Less for more 

We are in John 3:22-36 and John the Baptist is still putting Jesus first. 

John 3:26 sees some Jews, together with John’s disciples, coming to John for some clarification. They were concerned that Jesus was gaining more attention than John. John’s response is not to get involved in “well my way or the highway” or “my way or no way” stuff. No he acknowledges, in John 3:27, that it is impossible to do anything unless God has given it. John has graciously understood that he only exists to point people to Jesus, the only begotten Son that God sent into the world. John goes on to say that he must decrease so that Jesus can increase. I wonder how often we want to command the limelight so that what we say and do is all about us and not about Jesus? 

If we are to learn anything from this little section of John’s gospel it is that we must always recognise that Jesus must increase and we must decrease. It is about putting God in His rightful place as Lord of our lives and recognising that everything we do and say is for the sole purpose of putting Christ first, it is about making Him known and allowing Him to be seen through us. 

Yes, there will be times in our lives where we will mess up but that does not mean that we stop putting Jesus first. Our lives are in God’s hands and He will always work in us to mould us into the person He wants us to be. This is a partnership that requires willing cooperation from us so that Jesus can increase and that I decrease so that God can work out His purpose on earth through us all. 

• Do we, like John, have the strength of character and conviction to point out Jesus in the crowd? 
• Do we, like John, acknowledge that Jesus must increase in our lives? 

If we do, this will allow and enable God to use us to accomplish great things for His name sake.

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