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www.truthworks.com 24 MAR 04 devotion archive |
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HE > I < I tell you the Truth, You've most likely heard the phrase, "He must increase and I must decrease." I've used the phrase many times to describe to my listener the idea that Christ must increase in my life and I must decrease. In short, we need to die to self daily and allow Christ to grow within us, thus He increases within me. I believe that should be a daily prayer for each of us. We need to ask God to take a piece of us every day and replace it with Himself. But with all that said, I'd like to take a closer look at this phrase and perhaps the more precise intent of the man who spoke the words. Matthew 3 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " 11"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John the "Baptizer" knew his role and the role of Jesus even before he was born. He states that he is not worthy to even walk in the sandals of Christ. We all need to understand our role and the role that Christ should play in our lives and the lives of others. John the Baptist not only understood, but he also lived it. John 3 22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him." 27To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less. When reading the scripture, it's important to understand who is talking, who they are talking to and where they are located. In this text, John the Baptist is talking to his own "disciples" or students. They are talking about this other man on the other side of the Jordan. This is when John lets his own disciples know that Jesus must become greater - not only in his own life, but in the lives of his disciples. Actually, what John is telling his own disciples is this: "In your life, I must decrease as the light and guide and that man over across the water must increase as the light and guide in your life." It happens quite often. We are led toward Christ by someone else or we are the one leading someone toward Christ and neither of us wants to let go of one another. We prefer to depend on that person who God did a great work through. And as we are used by God, we tend to want the people we reach to depend upon us. But John gave us this example - if I show you truth, my next move is to point away from me and say, "Go follow the man across the river." "That joy is mine," says it all for John. His joy was not in leading others to himself. His joy was in leading others to Christ. That's where the joy is. That's where God gets the glory. Your Servant, <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< Prayer Requests (and Praises!) "Dear Pray-ers, I don't know if I told you or not about Peggy Smith's husband having a very bad burn on his arm from medication leaking on it a short period of time after he went in the hospital. The hospital told them this weekend that he is going to have to have a skin graft on his arm before it will heal. They will take skin from his hip and graft it after he has been off the blood thinners for a while. Bill has been throwing such a fit to go home that they decided they would let him go home for a while until the blood thinner is gone out of his system enough to do the skin graft. Donna is going to have to change the sterile bandage each day and he will have to go back down there (CAMC) for follow-up and checkups until the surgery is scheduled. THE WORSE PRAYER NEED RIGHT NOW is that Peggy fell and broke her hip this morning and is in the Appalachian Regional Hospital. Mary Meadows called me just now to tell me to be praying for them for this, too. She said she could tell the prayer had made a great difference in Bill's life and she is really giving God the glory for that! Bill is having some memory problems and Donna is really worried about how she is going to be able to help both of her parents and is concerned about leaving her Dad because of the things he forgets. They are in dire need of continued prayer and special prayer is needed for Peggy. She was having such a difficult time with the things with Bill and now this. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you praying for them. God will make a way!! Keep on praying, Awkie" Please reply if you have prayer requests, comments or simply need an open ear. I always enjoy hearing from you.
<*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< Copyright © 2004 Truth Works Publishing. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise specified, all scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV.
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