How to Let God Become Greater as We Become Lesser in Today’s Competitive Culture

Most people, including media, hadn’t heard of our new House Speaker, Mike Johnson. Yet, he received a unanimous vote on the first ballot from the Republican side of Congress! So obviously his colleagues knew him and more importantly trusted him to be their next leader.

In accepting the new role, Johnson didn’t tout how great he was or list his own accomplishments. He made it clear that as a Christian, Jesus is his Lord and Savior and influences the way he leads and lives. He reminded everyone that our country’s motto is “In God we trust.” We don’t put our trust in the government or one man. Speaker Johnson was less important. God and the Bible are greater and for that declaration his Republican colleagues applauded.

Maybe even some on the other side of the aisle admire him for his commitment to the Judeo-Christian values our once great country was founded upon. It’s a false claim that religion should stay out of government. In fact, the original writers/signers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights wanted the government to stay out of the church, while basing the United States Statutes on biblical godly principles.

However, Speaker Johnson made waves when he led the House in prayer before his acceptance speech, and made it clear from the onset that he is a “Bible-believing Christian” and “the Bible shapes my worldview.” No apologies, even when he came under immediate slander and attacks from liberal media and Democrats. He never backed down, but with grace, he didn’t retaliate.  He responded with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—the fruit of the Spirit.

It’s been amusing to watch attacks backfire from people like Matt Fuller, Washington bureau chief of the Daily Beast, as they try to criticize Johnson for being someone Americans can identify with instead of an elitist who has become rich while serving in government.

“Mike Johnson doesn’t have any retirement savings, own a single stock, or have any assets at all. He has less than $5,000 in his bank account. He’s got a 250-500K mortgage, a home equity loan, and a personal loan. So what’s his retirement plan? To lobby?” Fuller suggestively wrote.

Here’s one response, like many others, that boomeranged on Fuller: “The fact that Johnson did not, like countless other Congressmen, suddenly tap into new streams of wealth after he won office in 2016 is a mark in FAVOR of his character. Apparently he’s not availing himself of the insider advantages others are quick to exploit,” reporter Megan Basham pointed out.

Blaze Media concluded: “It turns out that people aren’t angry the new House speaker is, at least financially speaking, like a sizable percentage of Americans: not rich and scraping by on what he does have to provide for his family.”

I hope Mike Johnson is praying the armor of God every morning so those fiery darts he’s experiencing will bounce off his Breastplate of Righteousness (Eph. 6:14) and boomerang or be quenched by his shield of faith. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph. 6:16

Many can call themselves Christians, but it’s refreshing to see someone in governmental authority actually live out his beliefs and faith with conviction and grace. I wouldn’t characterize Speaker Johnson as simply bold and brave; I would say he’s authentic and real. Personifying the following two Scriptures.  

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Rom. 1:16 NLT

He [God] must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. John 3:30 NLT

What is the Context of John 3:30?

John 3:30, “He must become greater; I must become less” was spoken by John the Baptist, who God designated to pave the way for Jesus’ ministry. John the Baptist, a miracle baby born to aging parents, developed a ministry foretelling the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John was always comfortable with that subservient role and seemed to understand his God-given assignment.

During the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Luke 3:2-4

Many watched John baptizing and wondered if he was the long-awaited Messiah. When the Pharisees questioned his right to baptize if he wasn’t the Messiah, John denounced this misconception: ²⁶ “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:26-27

Then John met Jesus face-to-face confirming that He was indeed the Messiah sent from God. The one John had faithfully served without apparently ever knowing Him personally, even though they were distant relatives.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” John 1:29-34

John’s own disciples became jealous that Jesus had started His ministry and was also baptizing nearby. John was quick to set the record straight as he exalted Jesus without bitterness or envy.

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:22-30

I’ve always marveled that John the Baptist was never envious of why Jesus was the Messiah and he, John, wasn’t. Instead, John understood the importance of his own role and was gracious that God chose him for such a worthy position.

Isn’t it the same in life today? That’s the concept of teamwork. While there’s only one CEO, President, House Speaker, leader, or boss, they aren’t successful without surrounding themselves with dedicated support people working toward the same goal.

Jesus needed John the Baptist to prepare people’s hearts for His coming. Our role in God’s plan is to prepare others and ourselves for the return of Jesus. He chose believers to be His representative hands and feet as long as we have breath. God accomplishes His work through flawed humble people who give Him the glory!

God Is Great!

Where Dave and I live, the sun rises over the mountain peaks as the lingering darkness of the early morning fades. The sun’s magnificent glow of gorgeous hews lights up the sky announcing that a new day has begun. The sunrise is so significant to daily life that weather reporters track and forecast the exact time to expect it. Likewise, they predict the time of sunset when the sun slips down past the horizon proclaiming that day is done and soon stars will be blanketing the sky. But have you ever stopped to think that even before the sun is fully visible in the morning, the nighttime stars disappear. It’s this amazing exchange every day that humans don’t orchestrate or control. God, the Creator of the world, planned it all in the beginning.

¹⁵ Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Gen. 1:15-18 NLT

I close my morning prayer time with a personalized version of John 3:30: “Lord, I want You to become greater in my life like a sunrise and I want to decrease like stars disappearing.”

Metaphorically, I’m praying that Jesus would shine brightly in my life as I arise each morning, and that I would shed the remnants of self-centered ego, pride, and “me focus.” From what I’ve seen so far of Speaker Johnson, we have a man who isn’t prideful of his new position and success, but respectful and grateful to the God who chose him for such a time as this. Praise God! Let’s pray for our new House Speaker and his family.

As Speaker Johnson has humbly and unashamedly revealed to the world his dependence on God and the Bible, we need to also realize and revel in our dependence on the Lord. Not try to manage our lives on our own or be embarrassed to let others know that we too are Bible-believing Christians. To remember that everything we have we owe to God and to give Him the credit for all He has done in our lives as a witness and testimony to others.

When we become Christians, we exchange our ways for God’s ways. It’s a progression of decreasing and dying to our old self and becoming more like Christ as He increases in our thoughts, words, actions, and ego. Jesus will become greater and greater in every aspect of our life as our old nature becomes less and less. It’s a process. Sometimes we regress, but our goal is to continuously move forward surrendering our will to God’s will.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Cor. 5:17 NLT

Five Ways to Make God Greater in Your Life

1. Seek God’s direction before making decisions and respond accordingly. Pray and ask for God’s wisdom, “Lord, what would you have me do?” His answer comes through reading His Word, listening to a sermon, or asking wise council from a mentor or trusted advisor.

To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. ² All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. ³ Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Pr. 16:1-3

2. Consider the well-being and comfort of others before thinking about yourself. It’s natural to want our best outcome, but God wants us to think about others’ interests first. To be a reflection of His heart by serving the needs of others before considering our own needs.

 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Phil. 2:3-4

3. Live counter-culture. Care more about what God thinks about you than what people think about you. Don’t go with the flow. Go with God!

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom. 12:2

4. Get in the habit of thanking God throughout the day for the little things and for sure the big things!

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Ps. 68:19 NLT

5. Ask God to help you see things through His eyes, to hurt where He hurts and love how He loves. Get ready—you’re on your way to decreasing as you increase in Christ!

³⁴ Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. ³⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. ³⁶ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul. ³⁷ Is anything worth more than your soul? Mark 8:34-37 NLT

Note: I’m now posting my free monthly newsletter on the last Monday of the month in place of the usual Monday Morning Blog. If you don’t receive the newsletter, go to my website and sign up there. It’s super easy. Here’s the link to the October newsletter. The opening newsletter article is “When the Church Loses Its Voice, The World Loses Its Mind!”

There won’t be a Monday Morning Blog next Monday, November 13th.

As we approach Thanksgiving, you might enjoy my Crosswalk article 4 Prayers to Say At the Thanksgiving Table.

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Portions of this blog appeared in my Crosswalk article What Does the Bible Mean When it Says ‘He must Become Greater and I must Become Less?’ 3/1/2021