GIF The Paradox of Greatness

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
(John 3:30 (KJV))

The Paradox of Greatness
by Chuck Bentley

John the Baptist knew that his purpose in life was to call people to repentance in preparation for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

As a result, when a group of priests and Levites asked him who he was, he replied, “I am not the Christ” (John 1:20 NIV).

In describing Jesus, he said, “He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27 NIV).

And, when Jesus came to him to be baptized, John’s response was, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14 NIV).

Like John, we must decrease, and Jesus must increase.

That’s not a popular concept in our self-centered world, but it’s only through this process that we come to the fullness of what we were created to be.

Each of us is a unique creation, with a certain personality, talents, gifts, and so forth. Our uniqueness is tied to the purpose God appointed for us on this earth.

Unless we put God first, become more like Christ, and live out His purpose for our lives, we’ll miss the unique purpose that God wants to accomplish through us.

John the Baptist exemplified the principle that “He must increase, but I must decrease.” And, regarding John, our Lord said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11 NIV).

Greatness in God’s eyes comes from decreasing, not increasing.

Daily Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 4 – 6