LESS OF ME
"He must increase, but I must decrease" - John 3:30
If it is a must for my Lord to increase through me, then it must be a must also, for me to decrease, the Lord is exalted above even the heavens and the highest of heights are beneath His feet, but as regards the life of the believer, for Him to be so exalted, it will have to take me suppressing the self, silencing my opinions, subjecting my will and depending on Him alone to have Him increased.
The matter before us today is not about a struggle to exalt Jesus, it is about a yielding to the Lordship of Jesus, sometimes it is a difficult thing to observe, but I honestly think that for God to be glorified, we may have to be less pronounced in ourselves.. We would only do what He commands, we would become less in our projections, but more in proclaiming His name and praise.
There are times when people are pronounced as much as Jesus is, they carry the message of Jesus, but they seem not to glorify the Sender. It is possible for a preacher to be selfish and self centered, silencing the opinions and Lordship of Jesus, yet using the name as an appendage or an affiliation.
One truth that my mind knows is that, the Lord will not keep His vessel in obscurity if He is increased in their lives, but any fame we gain, any theory we postulate, any doctrine we lay, should be for the glorification of the person of Jesus. A decreased life will not make a name before delivering a message, a decreased life will not prove His right and abandon the commandments of Jesus. A man who wants Christ must be less.
Jesus didn't force it on John the Baptist, he knew in Himself that there is a head and He can always trust that if the Lord is increased, he can fulfill His purpose, he understood that if Jesus is increased, he can conveniently be a follower unto greater heights. The Lord already has the fullest of glory, He doesn't need us to be glorified, but for us to gain any significance at all in the faith, it must be in our, allowing Him to increase in us, we do not have what it takes to even attain spiritual prominence in ourselves, the earlier we allow decrease, the earlier He makes us an item of His glory.
THE FUTILITY OF OUR STRENGTH
"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." - 1Cor 1:20
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." - 1Cor 1:25
Our souls will not find the needed rest if we only depend on our strength, our efforts will be insignificant if all we ever do is build our confidence on the things we have achieved. Some things are not by power or by might, they are just by the grace of God. No matter how strong we are, the enemy will always challenge the strength through battles so as to depreciate our might.
I am not in any way saying that our strength will not play a role, but it is not by our strength that we will prevail; a man's strength cannot and will not save him from lust or masturbation. If you think determination is key to overcoming habits, then maybe you haven't learnt that he who commits sin, is a slave of sin. You cannot master something you are slave to by your ability.
In Romans chapter seven, Apostle Paul gave a vivid description of how determination failed him severally, and how he was always entrapped in the very things he dreaded as a result, he told the believer the blessedness of relying on the grace of Jesus and seeing the futility of self determination.
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 1Cor 12:10
Sometimes it is in our needs that we see the need of a God, at some points we are more blessed to have Him as our strength than the times when we need to work it out by ourselves. If our lack of strength are for the cause of Christ, we can be sure, He will step up to our matter.
You have toiled all night all by yourself, you have a lot of things getting you all worked up, and just in that moment when you think you are a wreck, that same moment the world cannot just stop seeing Jesus in you. The disciples where men who didn't have intellectual strength, who needs that when Christ was pronounced?
Apostle Paul said, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me, if it were to be by his strength, he wouldn't be able to do one thing well; because his strength will utterly fail. When the Lord is our strength, nothing becomes insurmountable to the believer.
THE FUTILITY OF OUR WILL
"There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD's counsel - that will stand." - Prov 19:21
For many who are die hard strategists, they don't vet their plans with God but they always know what they want, they stay glued with their will and they boast of how their will has taken them far, while it is not wrong to will, in fact it is God's will that we will by ourselves; but a man who thinks he can will against God's will for his life is joking.
As long as it concerns the believer, even the unbeliever, everything that we will, has the hand of God involved, even the unbeliever who will be saved, has God's hand in the choices he or she makes, it is the counsel of God that stands ultimately in a man's life.
The scriptures clearly states in Ephesians 5:17, that we shouldn't be unwise but understand what the will of God is, but the most worrying aspect of this matter is that, most times when our wills have failed, then we go about saying that 'let Your will be done'. That in itself is the futility of our will. We must admit that without Him we can do or will nothing.
"Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.'" - Matt 26:42
If only we can bring ourselves to that point of surrender, if only we will yield to know that the standing on God's will may suppress our ego or our pride, yet it is what glorifies us in the end. Even though it may seem foolish, but please, the counsel of God is the path to fulfilling our destiny.
How blessed is that man who has come to that point of surrender, blessed is that man, who has subjected his will to that of the Lord. Blessed be the Lord who has given us an ultimate will.
There would always be some conflict with our wills and God's will, sometimes we will have wills to for our convenience, but the Lord can bring inconveniences around us so that we submit unto His will. The Lord Jesus told Saul that, it was a hard thing to hit against the pricks, if the believer understands this, he will not be lost.
It is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13), if only we would allow Him work inside of us, if only we can make our wills subject unto His will, then we will not will in futility. We need to start thinking and admitting that is better for us to allow God work inside of us; so that our efforts will be to His glory in all.
DEPENDENCY ON GRACE
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." - 1Cor 15:10
That stage you are now is by grace, we are quick to forget this except when we are in a religious setting, most times, we would rather pride in our efforts and in our strength or in our will; but dear friend, the man who depends on God's grace often, does not run out of grace also.
How grace has saved us, even when we were nothing, how His grace has moulded us, we are not dead in trespasses because His grace was there - anyone who cannot admit this great grace with all conviction must do a re-examination of His faith, because we are all but a product of grace.
I am humbled by the work of His grace, I am hopeful because of His grace, and it is His grace that has made His Holy Spirit work in me all through this years. If I credit my achievement to my efforts, I would be closing the source of my resource. Let grace have it's perfect work in you, let the grace that was made available without measure and that has appeared to all men, be your dependency and your sufficiency.
"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." - James 4:15
I am not in anyway implying that we become unnecessarily religious like using 'by the grace of God' in every statement, though that is not wrong in itself, and if we can we should do so, but we must within our hearts, which usually wants to take credit for everything, plan our lives depending solely on His grace.
Even if your life isn't going the way it seem, it will be beautiful if you hear the Lord saying; 'My grace is sufficient for you'...it is grace that will pull us through those trying times, it is His grace that we must find in times of need according to Heb 4:16, it is His grace that will make our lives graceful.
Depending on God's grace should be where our confidence lie, if this is so, pride will not overtake us, boasting will not be our second nature, just in case, let me point to you that boasting is not just when you shout about your accomplishments, you can be low in tone yet boastful. We need the grace to stay less; we still need the grace for Him to increase.
CONCLUSION:
Becoming less is not losing our confidence, no...it is building our confidence on Jesus who can never fail.
God bless you and I love you
Akinsuroju Femi
© The Fundamentals
If it is a must for my Lord to increase through me, then it must be a must also, for me to decrease, the Lord is exalted above even the heavens and the highest of heights are beneath His feet, but as regards the life of the believer, for Him to be so exalted, it will have to take me suppressing the self, silencing my opinions, subjecting my will and depending on Him alone to have Him increased.
The matter before us today is not about a struggle to exalt Jesus, it is about a yielding to the Lordship of Jesus, sometimes it is a difficult thing to observe, but I honestly think that for God to be glorified, we may have to be less pronounced in ourselves.. We would only do what He commands, we would become less in our projections, but more in proclaiming His name and praise.
There are times when people are pronounced as much as Jesus is, they carry the message of Jesus, but they seem not to glorify the Sender. It is possible for a preacher to be selfish and self centered, silencing the opinions and Lordship of Jesus, yet using the name as an appendage or an affiliation.
One truth that my mind knows is that, the Lord will not keep His vessel in obscurity if He is increased in their lives, but any fame we gain, any theory we postulate, any doctrine we lay, should be for the glorification of the person of Jesus. A decreased life will not make a name before delivering a message, a decreased life will not prove His right and abandon the commandments of Jesus. A man who wants Christ must be less.
Jesus didn't force it on John the Baptist, he knew in Himself that there is a head and He can always trust that if the Lord is increased, he can fulfill His purpose, he understood that if Jesus is increased, he can conveniently be a follower unto greater heights. The Lord already has the fullest of glory, He doesn't need us to be glorified, but for us to gain any significance at all in the faith, it must be in our, allowing Him to increase in us, we do not have what it takes to even attain spiritual prominence in ourselves, the earlier we allow decrease, the earlier He makes us an item of His glory.
THE FUTILITY OF OUR STRENGTH
"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." - 1Cor 1:20
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." - 1Cor 1:25
Our souls will not find the needed rest if we only depend on our strength, our efforts will be insignificant if all we ever do is build our confidence on the things we have achieved. Some things are not by power or by might, they are just by the grace of God. No matter how strong we are, the enemy will always challenge the strength through battles so as to depreciate our might.
I am not in any way saying that our strength will not play a role, but it is not by our strength that we will prevail; a man's strength cannot and will not save him from lust or masturbation. If you think determination is key to overcoming habits, then maybe you haven't learnt that he who commits sin, is a slave of sin. You cannot master something you are slave to by your ability.
In Romans chapter seven, Apostle Paul gave a vivid description of how determination failed him severally, and how he was always entrapped in the very things he dreaded as a result, he told the believer the blessedness of relying on the grace of Jesus and seeing the futility of self determination.
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 1Cor 12:10
Sometimes it is in our needs that we see the need of a God, at some points we are more blessed to have Him as our strength than the times when we need to work it out by ourselves. If our lack of strength are for the cause of Christ, we can be sure, He will step up to our matter.
You have toiled all night all by yourself, you have a lot of things getting you all worked up, and just in that moment when you think you are a wreck, that same moment the world cannot just stop seeing Jesus in you. The disciples where men who didn't have intellectual strength, who needs that when Christ was pronounced?
Apostle Paul said, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me, if it were to be by his strength, he wouldn't be able to do one thing well; because his strength will utterly fail. When the Lord is our strength, nothing becomes insurmountable to the believer.
THE FUTILITY OF OUR WILL
"There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD's counsel - that will stand." - Prov 19:21
For many who are die hard strategists, they don't vet their plans with God but they always know what they want, they stay glued with their will and they boast of how their will has taken them far, while it is not wrong to will, in fact it is God's will that we will by ourselves; but a man who thinks he can will against God's will for his life is joking.
As long as it concerns the believer, even the unbeliever, everything that we will, has the hand of God involved, even the unbeliever who will be saved, has God's hand in the choices he or she makes, it is the counsel of God that stands ultimately in a man's life.
The scriptures clearly states in Ephesians 5:17, that we shouldn't be unwise but understand what the will of God is, but the most worrying aspect of this matter is that, most times when our wills have failed, then we go about saying that 'let Your will be done'. That in itself is the futility of our will. We must admit that without Him we can do or will nothing.
"Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.'" - Matt 26:42
If only we can bring ourselves to that point of surrender, if only we will yield to know that the standing on God's will may suppress our ego or our pride, yet it is what glorifies us in the end. Even though it may seem foolish, but please, the counsel of God is the path to fulfilling our destiny.
How blessed is that man who has come to that point of surrender, blessed is that man, who has subjected his will to that of the Lord. Blessed be the Lord who has given us an ultimate will.
There would always be some conflict with our wills and God's will, sometimes we will have wills to for our convenience, but the Lord can bring inconveniences around us so that we submit unto His will. The Lord Jesus told Saul that, it was a hard thing to hit against the pricks, if the believer understands this, he will not be lost.
It is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13), if only we would allow Him work inside of us, if only we can make our wills subject unto His will, then we will not will in futility. We need to start thinking and admitting that is better for us to allow God work inside of us; so that our efforts will be to His glory in all.
DEPENDENCY ON GRACE
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." - 1Cor 15:10
That stage you are now is by grace, we are quick to forget this except when we are in a religious setting, most times, we would rather pride in our efforts and in our strength or in our will; but dear friend, the man who depends on God's grace often, does not run out of grace also.
How grace has saved us, even when we were nothing, how His grace has moulded us, we are not dead in trespasses because His grace was there - anyone who cannot admit this great grace with all conviction must do a re-examination of His faith, because we are all but a product of grace.
I am humbled by the work of His grace, I am hopeful because of His grace, and it is His grace that has made His Holy Spirit work in me all through this years. If I credit my achievement to my efforts, I would be closing the source of my resource. Let grace have it's perfect work in you, let the grace that was made available without measure and that has appeared to all men, be your dependency and your sufficiency.
"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." - James 4:15
I am not in anyway implying that we become unnecessarily religious like using 'by the grace of God' in every statement, though that is not wrong in itself, and if we can we should do so, but we must within our hearts, which usually wants to take credit for everything, plan our lives depending solely on His grace.
Even if your life isn't going the way it seem, it will be beautiful if you hear the Lord saying; 'My grace is sufficient for you'...it is grace that will pull us through those trying times, it is His grace that we must find in times of need according to Heb 4:16, it is His grace that will make our lives graceful.
Depending on God's grace should be where our confidence lie, if this is so, pride will not overtake us, boasting will not be our second nature, just in case, let me point to you that boasting is not just when you shout about your accomplishments, you can be low in tone yet boastful. We need the grace to stay less; we still need the grace for Him to increase.
CONCLUSION:
Becoming less is not losing our confidence, no...it is building our confidence on Jesus who can never fail.
God bless you and I love you
Akinsuroju Femi
© The Fundamentals
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