More or Less

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

MORE OR LESS

John 3:27-30

27 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.

NIV

We are in the middle of this narrative of an argument between some Jews and some disciples of John and they had come to him to resolve their disagreement. Here we see his answer, his response to them telling him about people going to Jesus to be baptized instead of him. John knew who he was and what his life was all about. He did not try to be more than who he was or make himself out to be more than who he knew he was. He told them he could only be who God had called him to be. He reminded them he never said that he was anybody other then who he was, a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” John knew the great call that was upon his life and that he had done what he was called to do. He knew Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah and that it was Jesus who would save the world. The incredible lesson for us to learn is all about knowing who we are and who we are not, but we should also see that we, the self within us, should decrease and allow the Spirit of Christ to increase within us. We should not think more of ourselves than we should, as we are but sinners saved by grace. Yet it is also true that we all have a call on our lives, perhaps never as great a one John had, but nevertheless we have a call to be a voice crying in the wilderness of this sinful world, “Prepare the way of your life, the Lord is returning.”  Without being judgmental, it is difficult to understand how God calls some to be great performers, gaining such fame and fortunes, being the center of attention instead of declaring, prepare the way for the Lord. Again without any judgment, it is difficult to understand how we can live so much of our lives doing what we want to do instead of what God desires for us to do. John became less, knowing Jesus would become more, John got out of the way of Jesus, should we not also get ourselves out of the way so Jesus can become more? It is not about us, it is about Jesus. Why do we spend so much time talking about us, talking about what we have done, where we have gone, what we are going to do, where we are going to go? Should we not be spending time talking about Jesus? Yes we should enjoy our lives, he gave them to us. Yes we should enjoy the blessings from God, both the spiritual and the material, but that is not what our lives are about. Our lives should be about Jesus, we becoming less while he becomes more. All that we are, that we have, that we do is a result of Jesus. Should our lives not reflect that? The definition of Grace is his divine influence upon our lives and how that is reflected in our lives. Are we more or less?