Who’s Getting the Glory?

Verse of the day: John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease

Philippians 2 encourages unity through humility. Sadly, too much division is seen by the unsaved when they observe God’s church. Much of that division comes from pride, and a desire to be lifted up before others, robbing Jesus of the glory that belongs to Him. Jesus came in humility, exalting the Father. The Holy Spirit was later sent, after Jesus’ ascension, and He now glorifies Jesus. A pattern has been set for us that John the Baptist understood when he made this statement in verse 30. His disciples had come to him questioning Jesus’ ministry as baptisms were taking place outside of John’s baptisms. This could have easily been an opportunity for John to criticize a ministry that he had no part in and that was becoming more popular than his own. However, John the Baptist understood what his purpose was in serving God; it was to exalt and point others to Jesus. In John 1, John the Baptist pointed his disciples toward Jesus, identifying Him as the Lamb of God (John 1:35-36). As soon as Jesus made His appearance, John made it a priority to point others to Jesus, as he knew that he had come to prepare the way, as prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah (Is 40:2-4). Too often today, many who proclaim that they are serving God are really seeking their own exaltation. They get upset when they feel that they are not receiving enough credit for whatever it is they are doing in service to the Lord. There are jealousies in respect to the success of someone else’s ministry in comparison to our own. In Luke 9:49-50, the disciple John related to Jesus how they had forbidden someone from casting out demons in Jesus’ Name, because that person did not follow them. Jesus replied to let him be, because anyone who is not against them is on their side. John the Baptist described the situation brought to him in the context of a Jewish wedding where the bridegroom’s friend had many duties in preparation for the wedding. According to one commentator, the bridegroom’s friend also had one special duty; that duty was to guard the door of the bride’s bedroom and not allow anyone to enter, and the door was not opened until he heard the voice of the bridegroom. Today, our duty has not changed. Our duty is to point others to Jesus, whether in preaching the Word or teaching a lesson. When we live a holy life, obedient to God’s Word, and treat others in the same manner as God tells us to in the Scriptures, our ultimate goal is to lead others to Jesus. Sadly, too many Christians get caught up in the accolades and begin to desire the pat on the back from people for a sermon preached, a lesson taught (whether written or taught in a classroom). The “holier than thou” attitude takes root and does great damage to Christianity, as the devils use that person’s pride to repel people from the church and cause division amongst believers. We must be careful that we do not fall into the trap of thinking that service to God is a competition among believers. We are called to unity, and with one common cause; to exalt Jesus, proclaim His Name and the Gospel, and point people to Him so that they do not perish! If we find ourselves becoming angry because we did not get a pat on the back (or someone else did instead) or receive some kind of accolade for something we allegedly did for God, then we need to pull back and re-examine our motives in doing what we are supposedly doing for the Lord. If people are seeing more of us than more of Jesus in us, then we are not doing all we can to make sure that Jesus increases in our live, and we decrease. Rather than be upset over people going to Jesus to be baptized, John the Baptist was happy to see that what he had been sent to do was being accomplished. An interesting thing happened in respect to John the Baptist’s reputation when he refused to take Jesus’ glory for himself; at one point, while in prison, Jesus lifted up John the Baptist in praise before the people (Matt 11:10-12). As Jesus’ ambassadors, we are called to represent Him with honor, holiness, and righteousness, seeking glory for Him. Let us serve Him in humility, allowing Him to lift us up in due time (1 Pet 5:6); for the glory of all that is done in us, and through us, belongs to Him, and He should be the only One to decide who will share in that glory.

The Lamb of God came to pay the price for our sins, and give us eternal life (John 1:35-36). Have you accepted His gift of salvation yet (Rom 6:23)? If not, call upon Him today, repenting and confessing your sins (Rom 3:23), and accepting, by faith, eternal life that can only be obtained thru Him (Rom 10:13); before it is too late.