He must increase, but I must decrease. [John 3:30 (ESV)]
After pointing out Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” some of John the Baptizer’s disciples left John to follow Jesus. Later, John’s remaining disciples reported that Jesus was baptizing (it actually was His disciples) and wanted to know whose purification ritual of baptism was valid. With many turning from John to Jesus, the Baptizer’s disciples were confused, concerned, and probably a little envious. Apparently, they forgot that John’s original mission was that of forerunner—the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah and point the way to the Lamb of God. Knowing that he wasn’t the bridegroom but only His friend, the Baptizer humbly affirmed his position by telling his disciples that Jesus must become more prominent while he became less and less important. J.C. Ryle likened the Baptizer’s role to that of a star growing paler and paler as the sun rises until the star completely disappears in the light of the sun. John clearly understood that he was to fade in the light of the Son.
During this time of Lent, I have given thought to John’s words and tried (rather unsuccessfully) to decrease so that Jesus’ presence can increase. It was upon reading the following prayer by John Wesley that I realized how much of me I refuse to surrender. Prepared by Wesley for the early Methodist societies in 1755, the prayer is part of a Covenant Renewal Service in Methodist churches today. Although Wesley’s original, with its “Thee,” “Thy,” and “Thou,” has been updated with “You,” “Your,” and “Yours,” the prayer’s level of commitment remains the same.
I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will; Put me to doing; put me to suffering; Let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, Exalted for You, or brought low for You; Let me be full, let me be empty; Let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. [John Wesley]
These are the words of a man who was willing to decrease so that Jesus would increase—so that God’s light would be visible in his life. A prayer of surrender, Wesley’s words are those of a servant who loves and trusts his master enough to willingly submit in advance to whatever his master demands.
When Jesus called us to take up our crosses, He wasn’t speaking of bravely facing some tragic situation or long-term illness. A cross meant certain death and taking up our cross means dying to ourselves. Surrendering our wants, plans, and desires to Him, taking up our cross is decreasing while He increases! Unlike Wesley, my prayer of, “Do with me whatever You please, give me whatever task you would have me do, send me wherever whenever you want, take all that I have, and give me whatever you choose,” includes the unspoken words, “as long as it’s what I want and isn’t too inconvenient!”
While I may sing the old hymn’s words, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee,” there are limitations to my offer. God is welcome to my life, my time, my hands and feet, my voice, my skills, my wealth, and my will just as long as it’s on my terms! By the way, Lord, don’t ask me to do manual labor, go without modern conveniences, move, learn a new language, or leave my family!
In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis points out that God doesn’t want most of our time and attention or even all of it; He want us—the whole package—body and soul! There is no part of us that does not belong to Him and upon which he has no claim. He wants to completely fill us with His presence, but that’s only possible if we decrease to make room for Him. It is only when we empty our souls of our own will that He can fill us with His! Let us remember: If we’re too filled with ourselves to make room for His fasts, sacrifices, and responsibilities, then we’re too filled with ourselves to have room for His feasts, gifts, and blessings!
Lord, show me how to decrease so that You might increase!
Spiritual gifts build God’s Kingdom in a variety of ways including teaching, outreach, speaking, counseling, discipleship, serving, practical assistance, visitation, and prayer. Our gifts were given for the common good of Christ’s church and we need one another’s gifts for the body of Christ to function. Within the church, some gifts, like shepherding, evangelism, or leadership, are easily noticed while others, such as mercy, giving, intercession, and faith may be less obvious. While those gifted in service (the ability to see undone tasks in God’s work and get them done) often work behind the scene, the people gifted in hospitality (the ability to warmly welcome all people into home or church) are front and center Sunday mornings as they greet people by name and extend the hand of friendship to visitors.
When writing about giving God the glory and how we are but instruments of God’s grace in the world, I recalled a quote by Mother Teresa having to do with being God’s pencil. Wanting to quote it correctly, I Googled it. Along with the quote, I came across several versions of a parable about a pencil. Of unknown origin, it has been around for more than twenty years. Nevertheless, the parable was new to me and this is my version of “The Parable of the Pencil.”
At first, it seems that the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” should be called the “Parable of the Forgiven Servant.” After all, the king forgave his servant’s debt of 10,000 talents—the equivalent of billions of dollars. While the first part of the parable illustrates the value and extravagance of God’s forgiveness, it takes a dark turn in the second part when illustrating the reciprocal nature of His forgiveness—something the servant learned the hard way!
Like their parents, my youngest grands like to race and recently did this year’s 5K “Hot Chocolate” run. When Paul referred to running, he wasn’t referring to fun runs like theirs or a marathon like the one their parents ran nor were his boxing and wrestling references to the sports we know today. His allusions were to the Panhellenic games and Olympics which were well known throughout the Roman Empire in his day.
Last year, our family rented a lake home in Idaho. Although we never saw our next-door neighbors, we saw their landscaper nearly every day. A robotic lawnmower, it was meticulous about not missing even a small patch of grass on their expansive lawn. About twice the size of our robotic vacuum, this mower puts our little vac to shame. Rather than going in seemingly random circles, it efficiently cut in back-and-forth straight lines. The gizmo never strayed onto the beach, got lost in the shrubbery, banged into lawn furniture, or wandered into our yard! From lakeside to house, it went up and down the slope without slowing down and returned to its charging station when its power ran low. An obedient and hard-working servant, it was on call 24/7 and would have mowed all night if so directed. The mower’s schedule, boundaries, and grass height requirement were controlled by its master’s smartphone! Because that technology came with a hefty price tag, it also came with a built-in-alarm system, GPS theft-tracking, and a pin code.
