I Must Decrease

Most everyone is all about self these days. You don't have to look far in today's world to see this is evident. It's in the workplace, on social media, and sadly can be in our homes. This is not a Christ-like attitude. It is clearly not a trait a family leader should possess.

Some days it is almost comical to scroll down your Facebook page and see how many people are constantly taking photos of themselves. Posed in front of a mirror, snapping a pic with a smart phone as to say "Hey, look at me!"

On the job this can be a daily battle. Employees often go out of their way to make others look bad. They strive for career advancement at the expense of someone else. Often it is masked by good intentions such as "I'm just trying to provide for my family". However, when our attitude is not right we know it is not pleasing to God. Sometimes God won't allow Christians to move up the ladder at work. Strong believers often won't fit in and face persecution. Perhaps it is to keep us humble. Maybe a promotion would equal more time away from family. We may not always understand His ways, but the Lord always knows what is best for us.

In the home it is easy to be physically present and mentally absent. We can get caught up in the things we want to do. We want to relax after a stressful day with our mindless entertainment or on our computers. Fathers often put a priority on hobbies. We're quick to ration our valuable time between self interest.

The Bible instructs us to love our neighbor as ourself. We are also expected to be humble. There's so many principles in Gods word that points us to unselfishness. If we acknowledge we belong to Him it should be easier to get the focus away from self. John 3:30 tells us He must increase, but I must decrease. These are principles that seem so basic and simple, yet we struggle to apply them to our lives. Unfortunately, until we put God and others before ourselves we cannot be what He expects us to be.