He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:30 (ESV)
Here is a statement from a man of God who truly understands his purpose and calling from the Lord. It is a tremendous statement when you think about the person who said these words. John the Baptist was no ordinary person in the canon of Scripture. Here was a man called from birth to be a prophet. Specifically, the last Old Testament prophet. The prophet who was tasked with announcing to the world that the Messiah had arrived. His ministry was flourishing. He was seeing numerous people come to faith. He had a devoted multitude of followers. It would have been “natural” for him to lose sight of his mission and be satisfied with these earthly blessings. It would have been “normal” for him to bask in the praise of these men and women seeking God and honoring him for his service. Yet, John never lost sight of his purpose and mission in ministry. He was there for a singular reason – to point people to Jesus. And point people to Jesus is what he did. When at last he was confronted with questions about the diminishing crowds impacting his ministerial effectiveness, he knew the right answer. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Read more: Be a Nobody
Is this true in my life? I want it to be true. I want the heartbeat of my spiritual life to be uniquely focused on pointing people to Jesus but oftentimes I am too self-centered. I preach and teach a message of grace and mercy found only in Christ, while at the same time desiring the applause of people for my work and my words. Too often in my life I aspire to see myself increase. Even for good and righteous things I seek this. I want to better use the gifts and skills that the Lord has given me, so it is only “natural” that I would need to seek and gather a larger audience to hear my words so they can then be pointed to Jesus. I wrap all of my words and thoughts around spiritual ideals but my heart is often proud and seeks the spotlight.
What I need is the same heart of humility that John the Baptist puts on display. I need to emulate this man of unique and special giftedness. Not in how he did ministry but in why he did ministry. John was absolutely convinced and sold out to the calling of bearing witness of Jesus to everyone. His purpose was to be a pointer and he focused exclusively on pointing. John was willing to move from the mountaintop of popularity and excitement to the valley of being forgotten and irrelevant if it meant that Jesus was magnified and exalted.
I want to be satisfied with being a nobody. I mean that I want to be so satisfied and content with my relationship and calling with Christ that everything else just fades into the background. I want to be used of Christ in whatever manner he sees fit to use me. If this means that very few people even know my name, then praise the Lord. My faith and obedience should not and cannot be measured by statistical metrics. Numbers of followers, likes, and reposts should not be a driving factor. They shouldn’t be a factor at all. The only thing that matters is that Jesus loves me fully and completely. I have the full attention of the Creator. The one who holds every atom and molecule in place not only knows my name but knows me intimately and desires to share himself with me. I may be a nobody to the world but I am a child of the King of Kings. I am an heir with Christ. This nobody is precious to the only Somebody that really truly matters.
