John the Baptist, talking about Jesus in John 3:30, says:
"He must increase, I must decrease" (ESV) or "He must become greater, I must become less" (NIV)
The world tells us that the way we will be happy is to be as big as possible, but that’s not reality. We’ll actually find true satisfaction in realising our smallness and God’s bigness. This is not trying hard to get ourselves to believe something that’s not really true. If we move towards this attitude our perceptions are just moving more towards reality – where God is massive and we are tiny!
What would it look like to live with this attitude?
With a big ME and small God in my marriage, and my wife wants to do something that I don’t want, it becomes a problem, and I respond to it badly. As I become smaller and Jesus bigger, the issue is seen from the perspective of serving God. Even the way we discuss it is seen as a way of bringing glory to God.
When I'm increasing and God is decreasing then I see my possessions as mine. I worked hard for them, I earned them, I deserve them. When God is increasing and I am decreasing, I recognise that I deserve nothing and so I receive everything as a gift, holding it loosely, giving generously and serving others with money and things.
When I'm increasing and God is decreasing then I see my possessions as mine. I worked hard for them, I earned them, I deserve them. When God is increasing and I am decreasing, I recognise that I deserve nothing and so I receive everything as a gift, holding it loosely, giving generously and serving others with money and things.
With me becoming greater and God becoming less I miss opportunities for the gospel every day, because I'm so concerned with myself. When God becomes greater and I become less, I am open to what He wants me to do tomorrow, how He wants me to serve other people and share the gospel.
He must become greater, I must become less.