Get Your "But' Out Of The Way

John the Baptist said best what my goal is for 2023 in every facet of my life. John made it very clear to his followers in John 3:30, “He (Jesus) must increase “but” I must decrease”. John knew that for Jesus to increase John first had to get the “but” out of the way. Personal holiness or sanctification is both an event and a process. It began the moment we got saved when we received Jesus Christ as Savior and it is realized more each day from then on as we submit to His Lordship. John understood that both the goal and the reward of this life is the opportunity to be a forerunner to Jesus Christ. For John it was the announcement of Jesus first coming into the world and for you and me, its His Second Coming.

To put John the Baptist’s words in a modern setting I recall the words of Hall of Fame football player Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers who responded to a reporters question about Reggie making a name for himself as a star pro player in the NFL. He said, “I did not come here (playing in the NFL) to make a name for myself, I came here to proclaim a name, the name of Jesus Christ.”

Reggie White understood exactly what the apostle Paul meant when he penned the words of Colossians 1:15-17, “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.”

Here’s the good news going into a New Year! Because God is in control you and I can enjoy 2023 by relinquishing our own control. To decrease so Jesus can increase all we need to do is get our “but” out of the way. Pray for me, I am praying for you too!

I LOVE YOU!