May 4 - He must Increase

In our relationship with God, we must be aware of God’s part and our part. The two parts cannot be equal but in a sense, God’s part must be getting larger and larger and our part becoming smaller and smaller. That is the life motto of John the Baptist: “He must increase, I must decrease”. If this trend continues on in one’s life, there would be one day that one can lose all of oneself and that God would increase to occupy every part of one’s life. This is what being “in Christ” is all about. When I lose more and more of myself, I can get more and more of God in my life. Like Paul said once, “Not I, but Christ who lives in me.”

This is the key to being filled by the Holy Spirit, that we become smaller and smaller, yielding more and more of our selves to Him. When our God-awareness overwhelms our self-awareness, we would be totally controlled by God and His Spirit who then can bestow on us His gifts and produce His fruit in us. This motto is more than mere words, it is a direction in our lives and the goal of our faith. It is the key to win over the flesh and the world, by simply obeying God who is becoming a larger and larger part of our lives. Is this where you are heading?

John the Baptist yielded to Jesus who had been attracting more people than he and did not even seem to mind that Jesus had won the popularity contest. He knew that he was only the forerunner and he cannot be greater than his Master. Jesus was the bridegroom and he was just the groomsman. The spotlight should be on Jesus and not on him. He was happy for Jesus and he even rejoiced greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. John was fully aware that Jesus came from above while he was from the earth. That was why he bore witness to Jesus. The seal of the Holy Spirit was on Jesus and Jesus spoke the Word of God. He is the Savior and John was not. In a word, the life of John the Baptist exalted the Lord Jesus. Is your life exalting the Lord?

When your human side is greater than the divine side, God’s presence will not be evident in your life. All others can see is you and more of you. You have a tendency to exalt yourself above others, you are competitive and want to get ahead. You are easily hurt because you have become a large target. God’s voice is foreign to you and all you can hear is your own voice. Do you like to hear your own voice? Are you listening to your inner needs, wants and desires? Do the demands of the flesh drive your life, direct your attention and suck up all your energy? It is time to decrease yourself so that God may increase in your life.

Maybe this is the time for you to evaluate the percentage of God in your life. When compared to your own life, how important is God to you? What does Jesus mean to you and what you do on a daily basis? Remember, He must increase.