Hi everyone!
Wherever you are in the world, I hope this finds you well.
It’s my honour to share with you MY favourite Bible character and it’s my namesake – John! John the Baptist to be precise and, when I became a Christian as a young man, I was often called this in a not-very-nice way!
He’s my favourite Bible character because he was so passionate, he never gave up and he blazed a trail for the LORD in his time! My prayer for us all is that we will get a double portion of his spirit as we make a way for God in 2024. In John 3:30, John said these fantastic words which I try to live by every day,
John 3:30 (ESV): ‘He [the LORD] must increase and I must decrease.’
Despite being a pivotal figure in the Salvation story, he was so humble. He knew the source of his greatness did not come from him, but from God in him. The amazing thing about God is that, although He is everywhere and all-powerful, He doesn’t just barge into our lives. He waits for an invitation.
One of the reasons we sometimes struggle is that WE too often choose to increase – choosing the path of pride and our own agenda – meaning that God is pushed out. It’s only to the extent that we DECREASE that He can INCREASE, filling our lives with every good thing.
Join me today and be a DECREASER! Let’s put ourselves, our passions, pride and desire in the BACK seat, and intentionally give God the wheel of our lives every day. Only then will we know the joy of fulfilling the purposes of God, like John did.
Every blessing,
John Shelton.
