LESS AND MORE
He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
(Jn 3:30 NLT)
I am writing this blog on the last day of 2022. Like every year, I have been reflecting back on all that God has done in 2022 and looking ahead to 2023 with excitement and expectation. Both looking back and forward causes me to thank God and fills me with great joy!
Personally, 2022 has been a great year. A year filled with answered prayer, fulfilled promises. A year of blessings for obedience. A year of increased opportunity to share the good news about Jesus through discipleship, teaching, preaching and equipping-what joy! A year of learning and growing through some tough challenges. A year of increased love for and awe of God, who He is and what He has done!
I encourage you to do the same. Reflect back on all that God has done in and through you in 2022. You will be amazed! Then look ahead to 2023 and believe God for the impossible!
As I have been reflecting on God’s goodness and faithfulness, the words, “less and more” have come on my heart along with the scripture, ‘He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.’ (Jn 3:30). When I looked back in my journal at January 1, 2022, I had written, “My personal Word for 2022-Less of me! MORE OF JESUS! Exalt Jesus! (Jn 3:27-30) WOW! God has put the same words and scripture on my heart at the beginning and end of 2022!
John replied, “A person can receive not even one thing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the groom; but the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to Him, rejoices greatly because of the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. (Jn 3:27-30 NASB)
I believe that God has been faithful to accomplish, and will continue to accomplish this declaration, in His church. All those who have decided to follow Jesus and are seeking Him.
2022 has been a year of:
- Decisions: Choosing whom to serve and follow and learning to invite the Lord into every decision.
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and do away with the gods which your fathers served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15 NASB)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (Pro 3:5-6 NASB)
- Refining: Seeking the Lord, getting know Him by being in His Word and spending time with Him and desiring to walk and live according to His ways, has brought conviction, repentance and freedom.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” (Jn 15:1-2 NASB)
He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. (Eph 25b-27 NLT)
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Co 3:17 NLT)
- Learning obedience and increased faith, especially through trials and challenges and suffering.
though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (Heb 5:8 NKJV)
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9 NKJV)
- Leaving behind idols especially the idol of self, putting to death our flesh (old man) and putting on our new man. (Read Col 3:5-17)
- MORE! As we have been asking and seeking for more, we have been receiving more wisdom and revelation, more discernment, more perseverance and more faith. We have been more watchful, more steadfast and more obedient. As a result, there has been more repentance, more refining, more maturity and more holiness. We have been given more boldness, more opportunity, more power and more authority and have witnessed more of His kingdom here on earth. GLORY TO GOD!!!
Through all these and more, there is less and less of us and more and more of Jesus!
Let’s go into 2023 with this same heart’s cry-“Less of me-More of Jesus!” Not just more of Him and more of everything He wants to do in and through His church as individual members of His body and corporately, but let’s agree that we want to see Jesus reigning as King in our lives, our marriages, our families, over His church, over our cities and over nations.
I believe that the church of Jesus Christ will have more influence in 2023. More effect, more impact on those God has put in our lives-our families, friends, schools, workplaces, cities and nations!
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (Jn 14:12 NKJV)
As we declare He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less, Jesus will take His rightful place in our lives and in His church.
Can we declare together-“Jesus, You are our first love! We exalt You! You are supreme! You are Lord! You are King!”
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He is first in everything. For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Col 1:15-20 NLT)
I encourage you to listen to “The Church’s One Foundation”. It is a hymn written by S.J. Stone in 1866 declaring that the church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our LORD! The words are beautiful and powerful!
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev 2:7 NKJV)
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