John the Baptist understood what it was to give credit to Jesus, the Son of God. John was a popular man at one point in time. Then Jesus came and asked John to baptize Him. John tried to argue his way out of doing that. But Jesus insisted. Then John saw and heard amazing things about Jesus.
After Jesus was baptized, John saw a dove descend on Jesus, God the Holy Spirit. Luke 3:22
After Jesus was baptized, John heard the voice of God the Father “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22 NASB
John’s disciples were upset because greater crowds were following Jesus. But John could say without any envy “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:30 NASB
Do you, follower of Christ, really want Jesus to get all the glory and praise for your intellect, your abilities, your strengths?
How do you view yourself? Do you compare yourself, in any way, to those around you? I do that too often. Most of the time I come out the better person, from my point of view.
But then, when I compare myself to my Savior… there isn’t any comparison. Jesus is greater, He deserves to get all the praise and glory for anything about my life.
A lesson I need to learn: “I have been crucified with Christ” when I became a believer in Jesus.
He took all my sins on Himself; the sin of conceit, the sin of thinking more highly of myself than I ought to think, gossip, and fearing the day before me and the list goes on.
“and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”… that is a fact, follower of Christ! Christ lives within you. “…and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;…” Do I forget that fact? Yes I do. Forgive me, Lord. The good news is: “… and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Galatians 2:20 NASB
~ Take it to heart ~
Like John the Baptist can you say:
“He must increase, but I must decrease”?
John 3:30 NASB