Ready or Not… Here He Is!
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
This was said by John (whom we call the Baptist) when his followers asked him about the One he recognized at the Jordan River that day.
Ah, THAT DAY! The day I was going about my business… crying out… “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’” (Matthew 3:2-3)
Many listened… Matthew 3:5 then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Remember what I said that day?
Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy spirit and fire.”
And then… Jesus arrived… coming to John to be baptized by him (verse 3:13)
John recognized Him! He’d know Him anywhere – this is the same One that made him (John) jump for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary and Elizabeth greeted each other.
John even tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
Jesus said, “Just DO IT!”
What a day it was… Matthew 3:16-17 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
John continued ministering but he knew, his “crying in the wilderness” was pretty much finished. Now, it was just a matter of time… Jesus time! He must increase, but I must decrease.
Ready or Not… Here He Is!
I think the same is true for each and every one of us who have beheld the heavens opening, the Spirit of God descending and the voice out of the heavens speaking to our hearts, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”…
He must increase, but we must decrease. There’s just not room in the world of our heart for two kingdoms, the wilderness and heaven. We are to make ready the way of the Lord and make His paths straight but the Way and the Path are His! There’s just not enough room in the throne room or on the throne for our desired way and our favored path.
He must increase, but we must decrease.Ready or Not… He Is Here!
John 3:16-19 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
The Light has come into the world, but we love the darkness because it is so much better to hide – ourselves and our deeds in.
As I’m writing this I am having an Aha! moment. I have been heading toward encouraging us (and maybe highlighting a tool or two to use) to “decrease” and allow Jesus to “increase”.
ALLOW JESUS TO INCREASE!!!????
I’m still working John’s ministry (making the way ready and the path straight). The Way of the Lord is here! No more preparing for it, no more crying out for it. Jesus has come and He is the Light of the world… ready or not… His way is to overpower the darkness. My way is to hide in the darkness.
I must decrease the darkness by allowing (not just talking about it) the Light of the World a straight path to SHINE, SHINE, SHINE in me.
My deeds are evil (I’m talking about the ones I hoard and try to keep secret)… darkness must decrease… I must no longer protect my hidey holes and their contents.
Aha! It’s not This Little Light of Mine! It isn’t little and it isn’t mine.
It’s Jesus. He is the Light of the World!
He must increase, but I must decrease…
FLIP THE SWITCH! Decrease the darkness by bringing everything into THE LIGHT. The Light wins… EVERY TIME!
Ready or not!
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.