CHRIST-DAILY
DEVOTIONS
August 2
4th

HE MUST INCREASE

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

When John the Baptist was called and came on the scene, there were some that thought he was the Christ.  John the Baptist clearly confessed, "I am not the Christ" (John 1:20). The Spirit taught and led John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus (John 1:23). When Jesus Christ came on the scene, John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was "The Lamb of God to take away  the  sin of the world!" (John 1:29).  John the Baptist also identified that Jesus came to be revealed to Israel and baptized Jesus (John 1:31).  John bore witness of the Spirit of God lighting upon Jesus at His baptism, confirming what the Father had already spoken to him (John 1:32-33).  John the baptist knew for sure and testified that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:34).  Every Christian has been Spirit birthed with Christ actually living inside of them.  As John the Baptist, Christians should declare that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  John the baptist declared, "He must ever increase, but I must ever decrease" (John 3:30, amplified Greek text).  Truly, it is all about Christ, and not us.

The apostle Paul was later called by Christ, for an important and strategic mission to the Church (Acts 9:3-7).  The Holy Spirit taught and revealed that the Son of God now LIVES IN US! (Gal. 1:11-12,16).  The mind of Paul was miraculously transformed by this eternal knowledge of the truth of Christ and Him crucified (I Cor. 2:2).  Paul was compelled by the Spirit, to proclaim this liberating truth of this final gospel to all people (Eph. 3:9-12). Paul knew that this liberating gospel of the resurrected Christ living in us, and knowing all old things 100% were finished and put to death on the cross, was the eternal wisdom and power of God for Spirit birthed sons (I Cor. 1:24, 30, 18). This is why Paul boldly and unashamedly proclaimed, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).  Why did Paul clearly say Christ lives in me, and not the Holy Spirit lives in me?  Our Father primarily chose His Son to be His living word, to come and to live in flesh in this temporal world (John 1:14).   John the apostle says, that this life or expression in us is in His Son, not the Holy Spirit (I John 5:11-12).  Certainly, we have the Holy Spirit in us also as our teacher and revealer of Christ and renewer of the mind. For when we received the incorruptible Word – Christ (I Pet. 1:23), we received all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).

Paul declares that we are simply earthen vessels (II Cor. 4:7), to carry Christ and let Him live in and through us to express His life for the Father.  Christ must increase, and this vessel must decrease.  That is also the divine order.  We must have a Holy Spirit renewed and transformed mind, to know the Christ truly lives in us in this shared life walk.  To the degree that we have a transformed mind, and to the degree that we willingly choose to submit to that mind; is the degree that Christ can increase in us, and produces our decrease! V

Written by Dwight Davis
Christ-Ministries
 

                                               

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