John 3:31

“In fact,” the baptizer continues, “You must recognize the one who comes from a realm higher than the rest of us, including me, is above the rest of us.  On the other hand, those of us who have known nothing but this earthly realm can only speak of what we see here on earth.  Bottom line: Heaven-sent is better than earth-bound.”  John 3:31 EFP

John is determined to put an end, once and for all, to this push to protect his personal interests in the face of the onslaught of Jesus’ success.  He is summing up what has been a significant argument for ending such silliness. 

First, he submits the witness of heaven.  Jesus could not be riding the crest of ministry success unless God placed his blessing on it.  Secondly, he adds his own witness.  He has stated many times before he is not the Messiah.   To this he adds the fact that Jesus is the focus of Kingdom of God and that is good enough for him.  In fact he sees it as a necessity that he diminishes in stature while Jesus increases in influence in order for the will of God to be fulfilled.  Now he adds that the heavenly is superior to the earthly, especially if the heavenly is a person, mainly Jesus.

This sounds like solid principles on which to build my life.  1) Success comes from God—I will seek Him first.  2) I am not God—I will recognize his sovereignty in my life. 3) Jesus is the focus—all else is a distraction to me.  4) More of Jesus, less of me, is a good trend—I will learn to surrender more each day.  5)  The Word from heaven keeps earth-bound realities in perspective—I’ll try to keep that in mind.