Good Monday morning! Sorry about the wind, I was up early taking photos when it started so it must be my fault. I was also driving back into town when the Cabellian horde came up the hill so you can blame me for that too. As a matter of fact, just blame me for everything today... Do you suppose God ever gets a feeling like that? After all, people do seem to blame him for every smashed thumb, bad call, accidental bump, and all the more serious incidents in their lives. I hear God's name used to add an exclamation point to so many things that I find it hard to believe that He hasn't changed his name to avoid all that blame. Of course, if all of us together could affect God in any way, He wouldn't be God. We know that God is God, and as we believe in His Son, we also hate to hear the name of our Lord used so callously.
Today, John the Baptist describes sanctification for us... although he may not have realized that he was doing so.
"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." John 3:30
When John refers to Jesus in this manner, we see it as a sign of John's humility, and it is! But he also describes what happens as the Holy Spirit works out our salvation and sanctifies us in this lifetime. As Jesus becomes greater and greater in our lives, our old self with the sin nature and selfishness becomes less and less.
Now think about John's disciples as they hear this. The disciples may still have some doubts that John isn't in fact the Messiah, but here goes the object of their devotion saying that he must become less and less. John the Baptist simply informs his disciples that the Messiah has arrived and the herald must fade into the background and exit stage left. The disciples might have wondered at this point why they were following John the Baptist. Exactly! John would have wanted everyone to follow Jesus as he became greater and greater. One day your calling or my calling may be finished and we may need the humility to step back and become less while another becomes greater. Let us remember John's example of grace and humility when this time comes. If no other time comes before, we know that one day Jesus will arrive in his glory, and then we will certainly step back while all of Creation marvels at the risen Son of God. Hallelujah for the day!
Bucky
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