He must become greater; I must become less.”
John 3:30
No one wants to become less. From the moment we are born until our last days we are struggling to make our voices heard, assert our will, and insist that our preferences are observed. We don’t want to be less. We want to be more! We are creatures of will, desire, hunger, and lust who crave life on our own terms. So the real test of this life is not who can want the most and get the most, but who can sacrifice the most to give the most.
John the Baptist was at the height of his popularity. His movement was successful, well-known, and drew large crowds. John had his own followers who were devoted. Yet John was wise enough to know that having all of this was not true greatness. John had a higher purpose than popularity. Is your goal of greatness too small? John realized the greatest thing he could do in his life was become less important so that Jesus could become more important. John gave his place in the public eye to Jesus.
We are given a similar opportunity. We have this life which can be all about who we are and what we want. Or, we can give this life to Jesus, so that our lives become all about who He is and what He wants. For this to happen, we must become less so that Jesus can become more.
Heavenly Father, please bring me to a place where I surrender my life to You for Your purposes. You can do far more with my life than I can. Help me to surrender my desires to You so that I can live out Your plan for my life. Please be the Lord of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
