Who's the Greatest?
"He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30
Who's the greatest? That is the question we will ponder this year in GEMS. Doesn't seem too difficult really at first glance, right? God is the greatest! This is something I proclaim everyday, and will continue to proclaim it until I take my last breath. There, that was easy... next!
But, then I stop and take another look. It doesn't just pose a question, but rather a challenge. If I truly believe that God is the greatest, then I must become less. Which, in my mind poses a bigger problem. I already think of myself as inadequate, unworthy, unprepared, unknowledgeable... shall I continue?... So, how do I become less than that? Therein lies the challenge!
One of the wise, godly women in my life put it this way. Becoming less does not mean thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less... OUCH! Now, you got me. This verse, this theme suddenly become much more challenging. In order to make God greater... I need to think ABOUT myself less.
As I sit and examine my daily thought patterns, I realize how much I really think about myself... pretty humbling. When I get up in the morning, I whine about the time I have to get up. I complain that MY muscles are achey... how much I really don't like to run. I do my devotions and think about how much I let God down yesterday and how much better I am going to do today. I hustle off to the shower thinking about how late I am running. Off to work... poor ME (but really, the sun in shining and I am going to be stuck in my office)... I am tired... I am hungry... I am overwhelmed... I am stressed... I... I... Yep, that is kinda how the day goes. Pretty humiliating when you look at it that way (and that was all before lunch!)
So my challenge is to turn those patterns around and see God more and me less. I have so many things to be thankful for, first and foremost for the grace that covers me everyday. So, let that grace cover me like a blanket, that whenever you look at me, you see the grace of God!
Who's the greatest? That is the question we will ponder this year in GEMS. Doesn't seem too difficult really at first glance, right? God is the greatest! This is something I proclaim everyday, and will continue to proclaim it until I take my last breath. There, that was easy... next!
But, then I stop and take another look. It doesn't just pose a question, but rather a challenge. If I truly believe that God is the greatest, then I must become less. Which, in my mind poses a bigger problem. I already think of myself as inadequate, unworthy, unprepared, unknowledgeable... shall I continue?... So, how do I become less than that? Therein lies the challenge!
One of the wise, godly women in my life put it this way. Becoming less does not mean thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less... OUCH! Now, you got me. This verse, this theme suddenly become much more challenging. In order to make God greater... I need to think ABOUT myself less.
As I sit and examine my daily thought patterns, I realize how much I really think about myself... pretty humbling. When I get up in the morning, I whine about the time I have to get up. I complain that MY muscles are achey... how much I really don't like to run. I do my devotions and think about how much I let God down yesterday and how much better I am going to do today. I hustle off to the shower thinking about how late I am running. Off to work... poor ME (but really, the sun in shining and I am going to be stuck in my office)... I am tired... I am hungry... I am overwhelmed... I am stressed... I... I... Yep, that is kinda how the day goes. Pretty humiliating when you look at it that way (and that was all before lunch!)
So my challenge is to turn those patterns around and see God more and me less. I have so many things to be thankful for, first and foremost for the grace that covers me everyday. So, let that grace cover me like a blanket, that whenever you look at me, you see the grace of God!
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