He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30
“God’s ways aren’t our ways, but HIS ways save. Our ways don’t.”
Jefferson Bethke
If your heart’s desire is to keep pushing the Gospel forward, Jesus must grow in importance in our hearts, in our minds, and in our everyday lives. When we meet people, they must see more of Jesus and less of us. As followers of Jesus, we are forever changed. Our pride gives way to humility, albeit not without a fight. I have to admit that for me it seems to be a daily struggle, chiseling away, one chip at a time. Thankfully I do not have to do it on my own, it is done by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
This verse we are focusing on is credited to John the Baptist, the one who prepared the way for the Lord, and pointed to Him and said, “behold the LAMB of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John the Baptist was a very humble man. He knew his purpose in life. John the Baptist wasn’t full of himself, beaming with pride. He knew his purpose, and his purpose was to point people to Jesus. He spent every ounce of his energy and every minute of the day fulfilling that purpose.
The pandemic has given us time to reflect and to look at what is our purpose in life. I have heard so many people say that we should not come out of this the same, we should be improved. We have seen so much hurt and we have been provided with so many opportunities to help someone in need.
Throughout the pandemic, FBC Weslaco has assisted families with food, first responders with hot meals, and this week we are delivering care packages to the local hospital. Call the church office to see how you can help.
God wants us to make ourselves available, so that He can use us. He wants us to remain teachable, so that we can learn how to help others, how to fulfill our purpose. And John the Baptist knew this, he knew that as followers of Him, we must decrease, so that Jesus can increase.
Please listen to this song written and performed by a good friend of mine, Joel Engle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOiB7qGZK4
Meditate:
He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30
Discuss:
How is Jesus increasing in our lives?
What changes need to be made so that Jesus increases and we decrease?
How can we help a someone/family in need this week?
Pray:
Heavenly Father, strip away all that remains for Your glory and Your name, help me remove all that needs to go, until there is nothing left of me. I want people to see You in me. Let me decrease daily so that You increase.
In Jesus name, Amen.
About the author:
Jose Aguilar Jr. is an Associate Pastor at FBC Weslaco and has served in this capacity for the last 12 years. He and his wife Blanca have served faithfully at FBC Weslaco since 2001. They are the proud grandparents of Lilyana Faythe and Trinidad Esperanza Aguilar.