He Must Increase, I Must Decrease (John 3)

This lesson centers on a simple but challenging question: **“What’s in it for me?”** We live in a culture that constantly encourages us to think about what we can gain—more money, popularity, comfort, recognition, or success. While that mindset is common in our culture, it can be dangerous when we allow it to shape our walk with Christ. A self-centered mindset can keep us from growing spiritually because we become more focused on what we want than on what God wants. We looked first at the **rich young ruler in Matthew 19**. He was already trying to live faithfully and obey God’s commands, but Jesus challenged him to go further: sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. The young man couldn’t bring himself to give up the things he valued, and he walked away grieving. His possessions had become more important to him than completely following Jesus. The lesson is that we can appear faithful while still allowing our own comfort, possessions, desires, or priorities to take the place that belongs to God. From there, we considered how easily this happens in our own lives. We may compromise at work because we want to keep our position, change the way we act around friends because we want popularity, or even become self-focused in worship when things aren’t happening the way we want. The problem is that **the more we make ourselves the center, the smaller God becomes in our lives.** The positive example came from **John the Baptist in John 3**. John had developed a following, but when people began leaving him to follow Jesus, he didn’t become jealous or try to hold onto his popularity. Instead, he recognized that his entire purpose was to point people toward Christ. His response was, **“He must increase, but I must decrease.”** John understood that his life wasn’t about his own popularity, status, or personal gain. His joy came from seeing people turn toward Jesus. That leads to the mindset we are called to have: **moving from self-centeredness to self-sacrifice and humility.** Jesus said that anyone who wants to follow Him must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him. Following Christ requires a daily decision to put God first rather than ourselves. Instead of constantly asking, **“What can I gain?”** we should begin asking, **“What can I give?”** Ultimately, **Jesus is our greatest example of self-sacrifice.** Philippians 2 points us toward Christ’s humility. Jesus had every right to choose Himself, but He willingly humbled Himself, served others, and gave His life for us. His life demonstrates what it looks like to stop living for ourselves and instead live for the good of others and the glory of God. The challenge is to examine our own lives and ask: **Where am I making things about me?** Is it at work, school, in relationships, in worship, or in the way I use my time and possessions? Wherever self has become too important, we need to make a change. The goal is the same one John the Baptist gave us: **Jesus must increase, and I must decrease.** When we make that shift, we become more humble, more sacrificial, and better able to point others toward Christ. **Stop asking, “What’s in it for me?” and start asking, “What can I give for Jesus?”** Our faith grows when **we become less focused on ourselves and more focused on Christ.** This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hoovercoc.substack.com