A brief review of the two principles John taught me
yesterday. Number one: Jesus in the focus. Lesson number two: That’s all I need. These are two basic spiritual principles with
which to guide my life. But today John
the Baptist shares another principle that defines a gentle, yet confident
servant who is comfortable in his skin and understands his mission in life.
In his mind it was crystal clear: it is best for Jesus to grow and flourish; it
is also best for him to shrink and diminish.
This is no small thing! John is
at the height of his popularity and influence.
He is baptizing, preaching, and changing the world for God. This is what he has been preparing for since
he was born. But now his mission becomes
even more focused as he understands his ultimate mission is to support,
promote, and usher in the ministry of the Anointed One. The clincher is that he does not consider it
a sacrifice. He is delighted to do
it! Wow!
This is the hardest thing for me to get. It’s best for my “self” to shrink and for
Jesus to grow and grow until all that is left if Jesus in me. It’s not a sacrifice, but it certainly is the
end of me. Maybe it is a sacrifice—a living
one (Romans 12) It’s counterintuitive.
But it certainly is consistent with what Jesus, and both Johns, have
been saying for the first three chapters of this Gospel. It’s not about me, it’s about Him! I will consider it my greatest joy to
experience what John experienced in seeing my goals, dreams, my very life,
swallowed up in the will of my God. I have
a long way to go. But it is necessary
that Jesus should grow, and that I should shrink….
No comments:
Post a Comment