Bible Verse of the Day Thursday November 4th 2021

John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less."

John the Baptist could very well have been called John the Witness; he came to prepare people for the coming of the true promised Messiah. From the first promise of the one that would come to save the World from their sins, that came at the expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), every prophet told of the day the Messiah would come. When John the Baptist first began his ministry, it had been over four hundred (400) years since the last prophet (Malachi) had prophesied the coming of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus (Malachi 3:1-4). John said he came to prepare a way for Jesus. I must step aside and allow His greatness and His light to shine before the entire World.

In verses 31-35 of the 3rd chapter of John, the writer lays out five reasons that John the Baptist saw Christ Jesus as superior to himself:

1. In verse 31, he shows that Jesus' origin was not of this World but heavenly.
2. In verse 32, he clearly shows that the truth Jesus was preaching was from firsthand experience.
3. Verse 33 verifies that the truth Christ Jesus's brought forth to the World was from God.
4. Verse 34 tells us that Jesus' indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God was without any limitations.
5. Verse 35 shows that Christ Jesus was sovereign and predominant because the Father had placed all things in His hands.

John the Baptist fully and completely understood and humbly accepted that his calling was complete when he introduced Jesus to the World as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29). We, as children of God, need to understand our calling in Christ Jesus. Some people want to compare their Christian standing with other people, but the problem is the likelihood of seeing ourselves as above others. Satan will be exceedingly delighted to give us the ammo we need to carry out that prospect. When we place ourselves on a scale alongside Christ Jesus, it becomes clear that we will never reach the goal of equivalence with our Lord and Savior in this life or for all eternity.

John the Baptist was content and enthusiastic in knowing that he must become less and less visible so that Christ Jesus would become more and more visible to the World. This humility should be the primary goal of every follower and believer in Christ Jesus. Our Lord and Savior should become greater and more visible while we, as His servants, should become less and less noticeable and perceptible. John the Baptist was more than aware that people could not follow him while at the same time following Jesus. The success of John's ministry was that people were moving on from following him to becoming disciples and followers of Christ Jesus.

Our goal as ministers of the Gospel, which all of us as children of God are, is to lead souls to the saving grace of Christ Jesus. The object is to help others to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. The minister's objective is not to increase the fame and popularity of himself or herself, but to assist others in their walk with the Lord Christ Jesus. Lastly, a couple of verses to ponder (Psalm 72:17-19; Colossians 1:18).