From John 3:22-36.

“He must become greater; I must become less.”

For me verse 30 is the most compelling of John 3:22-36, but this wasn’t always so. In fact I had read it many times without it making much of an impact on me.

Then, several years ago, I was doing some personal devotions in John and perused this passage, and this verse, for probably the 20^th or so time in my years as a Christ-follower. As so often happens when the wind of the Spirit blows along its mysterious course this time“He must become greater; I must become less.” became something more than just dry words on a printed page.

For a just a few moments the profound reality of John the Baptist’s authentic humility touched a very deep part of my soul. The sheer beauty of it, the unexpectedly sudden knowledge of the “rightness” of it, brought tears to my eyes. I next found myself verbalizing a completely sincere prayer asking to have exactly what he had that day, the state of spirit which allowed John to willingly become less so that the Son of God and Man could “become greater” in the eyes of the human beings He had come to save.

Yes, the sheer beauty, and authentic meaning, of true humility became real for me that day, and I think for the first time (by the way I had been a believer for at least 15 years at this point.)

Moreover I so wanted it. During this short epiphany I so wanted to become less so Jesus could become more in my life and in the lives of those I knew and loved. And at that moment I knew something far greater than happiness. 

Someone once said “humility comes before honor.” That may be so but, far more importantly than honor; true humility also comes before true joy.