He must increase, but I must decrease. — John 3:30
When I was growing up, I remember my mom and dad trying to teach me lessons. There are a lot of life lessons that everyone learns as a kid. We learn how to say please and thank you. We learn how to share with others that are around us. But one of the more challenging lessons to learn as we grow up is to put anyone else first.
I still remember some of those lessons when I was younger. I remember being somewhere and hearing my mom or dad tell me to let the older person go in front of me. On many occasions, I remember my parents telling me to hold the door for someone, letting them enter the building before me. While these are simple examples, on many occasions, I learned valuable lessons that involved sacrificing of myself for someone else.
Society today tells us that we should look at things differently. We are constantly bombarded with the suggestion that we should only live our lives for ourselves. We are told if you want it, get it. If you desire it, do it. Don’t think about how it affects others. What truly matters is that you are happy.
There is a really simple lesson here in John 3. John the Baptist is talking about Jesus, and he says these amazing words. John realized that his life was not just about him. He realized that his life was given to him by God with a purpose. In my words, John was saying, “God, you first.”
As you reflect, is God truly first in your life? Too often, our human nature is to pick and choose when we put God first. It’s easy to put God first when it’s convenient. What about when it takes real sacrifice? In all aspects of our life, we should say, “God, you first.”
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