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More of Jesus

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:27–30

The world is filled with people trying to get to the top. There are endless courses, seminars, and books written about gaining attention, moving up the ranks and becoming famous. We look up to people who have succeeded in their fields, and often treat them as worthy of more respect than others because of their accomplishments. While there is certainly nothing wrong with succeeding through diligence, hard work, and character, receiving the praise and acclaim of men should never be our goal.
For a brief time, John the Baptist was the best known and most famous preacher of his generation. Huge crowds flocked to hear him, and many responded to his message which called for repentance and belief in the coming Messiah. But when Jesus began His ministry, most of those who once followed John began following the Lord. John could have responded by being angry at his diminished stature in the public eye, but instead he rejoiced.
That is because John understood what is truly important in life. F. B. Meyer wrote, “The only hope of a decreasing self is an increasing Christ.” God’s purpose is not that we be glorified, but that our lives glorify Him. “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not…” (Jeremiah 45:5).
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If we seek God’s glory rather than our own, we will be protected from the snare of pride.

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I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health. --3 John 1:2 When was the last time you thanked God for your health? It’s probably been a while, because most of us take our health for granted. One interesting thing to me about physical health is the powerful impact that our minds can have on the way we feel. By that I mean if we are always entertaining thoughts about how sick we are, or if we’re afraid of how sick we might become, the chances are we’re going to be sick. Now please don’t misunderstand. I’m not making light of real illnesses. I’m just saying that the way we think and the attitude we take toward life has a tremendous influence on how we feel. When I was in seminary, I ran an impromptu field test where four or five of us went up to another student who was perfectly healthy and told him, “Boy, you look sick,” just to see how it would affect him. Sure enough, before the day was over he went home sick! My point is simply this. Live with a healthy attitude. Don’t worry about whether you might catch the latest “in” disease. Just thank God for the strength He gives you each day. Thank God today for the strength He gives you to follow and serve Him.