Less is More

Everyone likes to be noticed for something. I’m no exception. We all like to be recognized for the things we do well, and we prefer not to be recognized for those things we don’t do so well.

In the gospel of John, chapter 3, John the Baptist (two different people named “John,” by the way!) gives his disciples a quick lesson about this desire to be noticed.

He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30).

 

Ok, up to this point, John the Baptist and his disciples have been the superstars on the scene. John is preaching repentance and preparing the way for Jesus, the Messiah. They’re super busy baptizing people day in and day out. John is getting people stirred up before Jesus even appears on the scene to start His ministry. John is the “It” guy and his disciples are enjoying the recognition.

Then Jesus appears to start His ministry and now the tables are turned; everyone is going to Him to be baptized instead of John. Ouch! Even some of John’s own disciples joined up with Jesus–remember Andrew, Peter’s brother? A few of John’s other disciples are getting a little stab to their pride because everyone has noticed Jesus, and they’re no longer in the spotlight.

They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here He is baptizing, and all are going to Him’ (John 3:26).

I like The Message version -they go to John with the complaint that Jesus is doing the same thing John was. “He is now competing with us and everyone is going to Him instead of us.” Did they just say Jesus was "competing" with them? Ok.. moving on!

If you read the verse, it seems to me that they were complaining, they had kind of a whiny tone of voice, perhaps a bit of an attitude--well, you can just imagine the drama! John’s disciples were hating a little bit, well maybe a lot because they weren’t the hot new thing anymore. But I love John's composure and attitude toward this whole situation, he reminds them that he specifically stated that he, John, wasn’t the Messiah and that he had only come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Bam! I bet they felt pretty stupid after that! It was evident in John's mind that now that Jesus was here, it was time for his role to shrink and for Christ’s role to grow. And what's cool about it is that John was happy! Really? To have lost his prominent role? His ministry that had cost him hard work to build, many years, tears, sweat and blood. He was ok with losing it? Yes! The bible says that he “rejoiced greatly” (John 3:29). John knew from the beginning that his time was temporary and that his job was only to prepare people until Jesus got there.

The Three M’s

1.       Mission

Even though John’s disciples seem alarmed, but it didn’t bother John one bit. John would not allow envy or the rowdy crowd make him forget his MISSION: to announce that the Messiah had come, and then to step back.  John the Baptist lost his “congregation, church, crowd, followers” - and he was happy about it! John was happy because he lost it to Jesus.


2.       MUST

The “must” of John 3:30 is a crucial one. John is showing deep humility, he is also saying that this is the way it “must” be, the way it will be—because this is the plan and the purpose of the sovereign God.  It was the “must” of a servant. We are His servants and the master must be greater than the servant. Jesus must be greater than us!

Auxano is the Greek word of Increase: it means to cause to grow or cause to become greater in extent, size, state, or quality.

Here John describes the necessity for Jesus to be continually (present tense = continuous action) increasing in every area of our lives, today, tomorrow and every day after. By doing so, we make Jesus a priority in our lives. There is no other way to live for Christ! It is a must, not an option. As William Carey a great missionary pioneer lay dying, he turned to his friend and said, "When I am gone, don’t talk about William Carey: talk about William Carey’s Savior. I desire that Christ alone be magnified." Are we willing to say the same?


3.       ME Society:

"He must increase but I must decrease. It’s hard for a lot of us to grasp that truth and really understand it because of the ME society that we live in. It’s all about me. Look at what I did. We did great because of me etc..  We even have the audacity to get upset if we see others rising and Lord forbid if they’re actually better than us. We have lost the core understanding of what this text means.

I’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s about JESUS. And as long as His name is being exalted and glorified, who cares who did it better? It’s not about us, it’s about Him. When we learn how to decrease, while Jesus increases in our lives, none of that will ever matter. Did I get recognized? No- well, who cares, as long as Jesus did, that’s all that matters. We need to get out of that ME mentality and get into a  JESUS mentality. John says He MUST increase, I MUST decrease. He didn’t say, I hope, let’s see, if He wants to increase.. NO! He MUST and must is an order, it has to happen, no ifs and or buts about it. It WILL happen!!


A W Tozer said: John condensed into that one final sentence (Jn 3:30) the secret of his own spiritual greatness: “Jesus must increase, but I must decrease.”

John's joy was in fulfilling God's will for his life. He raises the question for all who would be disciples of Jesus, where do we find our joy? It is easy to get distracted by the many blessings of life and we should be thankful for them but our joy's deepest foundation is found in God Himself. The secret to living a successful, happy, joyful life is being in God’s perfect will, doing His perfect will, accomplishing the plan that He has set out for us to do on this earth and while we do it.

True joy comes when we take the focus off of ourselves and focus on Him- we no longer worry about ourselves or others, rather we focus on God.

When we do that, we release ourselves from all competitiveness, jealousy, envy, hate, murmuration, gossip and any evil spirit from entering our hearts and mind and we are free to worship and live the life we were designed to live by God. Our attitude should be that of John, “We don’t want to share the glory with Jesus Christ -- He must increase, I must decrease.”

I truly believe that you may be on the brink of a breakthrough, a blessing, an opened door, an opportunity, an answered prayer, a dream come true and it’s IMPORTANT for you to keep this word resonating in your spirit. If you want longevity and success in all that you do- just remember this, the higher God takes you, the more you need to become less. LESS IS MORE in God’s eyes, perhaps not in today’s society but in His kingdom it is. The more you decrease and step away to the sidelines; the higher He lifts you up because you are granting Him the spotlight, the center of it all. But it’s important that you NEVER forget that principle, because it will be imperative to your success. You must know your mission and stay focused! You must allow God to increase in your life and be willing to decrease. And when you do that, you release yourself from the "me" attitude our society clings to.

What are the areas in your life where you need to decrease and let Jesus increase? Pray about it, ask Jesus to help you decrease so that He can increase. Tell Him to take center stage while you move over to the sidelines.

Be Encouaged, Be Blessed!

Landy Perez-Feliciano ♥