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John 3:30 - Jesus must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

John 3:30 - Jesus must become greater and greater, and I must 
become less and less. 

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

John 3:30 (TNIV) He must become greater; I must become less.

John 3:30 (NLT) He must become greater and greater, and I must 
become less and less.  

CONTEXT: John the Baptist's Testimony About Jesus: John 3:22-36.

APPLICATION COMMENTARY With Emphasis On Verse 30.

These are the last words by John the Baptist recorded in this 
Gospel. [New Bible Companion] 

These words form a truly fitting motto for every aspiring 
servant of Christ. [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary] 

The shining forth of the glory of Christ eclipses the lustre of 
all other glory. The glory that stands in competition with Christ, 
that of the world and the flesh, decreases and loses ground in the 
soul as the knowledge and love of Christ increase and get ground; 
(Matthew Henry's Commentary) 

Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where 
He does everything. [In His Time; My Utmost For His Highest] 

  John the Baptist was the messenger preparing people's hearts 
for the coming of Jesus. That's pretty heady stuff for a young guy. 
But instead of busting his buttons in pride, John showed remarkable 
humility.  
  John knew his purpose in life was to point others to Christ, 
so he didn't get wrapped up in his own popularity. Even when John's 
own disciples began to follow Jesus, John took it all in stride. "He 
[Jesus] must become greater and greater, and I must become less and 
less." 
  John had everything in perspective, and so he was able to 
humbly submit his abilities to God. He was content to do what he had 
been called to do. How about you? Are you thankful for who God has 
made you to be? Take your eyes off yourself and focus your energies 
on making Jesus known. He must become greater and greater. [The One 
Year Bible for New Believers] 

EXAMPLES

  God did not call me to be a rock star. He called me to express 
my salvation through music. And there is a vast difference. He made 
it very clear to me from the start that if I intended to follow 
him, I should never expect more than having to drive eight hours to 
play for ten people who don't know who I am and don't care. They 
might not buy the CD, and I might have to sleep in my car that night 
before getting up and doing it all over again the next day. Early on, I 
knew that this was not going to be about me. So I'm trying hard to 
remember that. I fail miserably at it most of the time. 
  Sometimes, when I start to think I'm really cool, God allows 
me to trip and fall flat on my face so that I'm at eye level with 
those whose feet need washing. It's humbling. And it's healthy. I 
honestly look back at those times and say, "Thank you, God, for reminding 
me that it's not about me.... I keep forgetting?' 
  I like to think of John 3:30 as my very own "gospel of 
smallness." by Tara Leigh Cobble--singer, songwriter, author, and speaker--is 
a fan of football, cliff jumping, and Jesus. Her CDs include 
Beneath This Skin, Home Sweet Road, Things You Can't Stop with Your 
Hands, and Here's to Hindsight. [The One Year Bible Live Verse 
Devotional] 

  At the age of ten I opened my heart's door to receive Christ 
as my Lord and Savior. My small-town, small-church upbringing gave 
me a solid foundation about God and life, mostly focusing on what 
not to do. 
  When I entered college, I still loved God passionately and was 
dismayed by the bombardment of invitations to wild drinking parties. 
Consistently declining the offers, I found it increasingly difficult to fit 
in. Finally, a senior by the name of Mark Ballard knocked on my 
dorm-room door. Mark introduced himself kindly, just like everyone else, 
and--noticing my fishing rod--invited me to join him at a nearby lake. I 
agreed, thinking, Finally someone sane who doesn't want to party. Then 
Mark said, "After fishing we can stop by this party I know is going 
on." Oh well. 
  As we drove to the lake in Mark's Ford Ranger, I suddenly 
realized that Mark was witnessing to me! It took me a minute to grasp 
what was happening as he shared his salvation experience. When he 
asked me if I knew Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I exuberantly told him 
my story, including how I knew the basics of faith but not much 
more. The party turned out to be a campus outreach, where I met 
believers who are good friends to this day. But the best part is this: 
Mark didn't just stop there. For the next two semesters he came to my 
dorm room once a week to disciple me one-on-one in a Bible study. It 
was there that Mark showed me John 3:30 and how Christ must increase 
and we must decrease. Even more than pointing out the words, Mark 
lived them out, taking his senior year to spend time with a lowly, 
lonely freshman. Thanks, Mark! by Jerod Hobbs, now twenty-eight, is a 
former youth pastor and has been married for three years. [The One Year 
Bible Live Verse Devotional] 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

When you look at a church steeple let it remind you of the 
thought in this passage that He, Jesus, must increase in my life as I, 
self, must decrease - just as a church steeple becomes smaller and 
smaller the closer is gets to heaven. [Clayton Harmon] 

Oh! For a self-emptied spirit - a heart at leisure from itself - 
a mind delivered from all anxiety about one's own things! May we 
be more thoroughly delivered from self, in all its detestable 
windings and workings! Then could the Master use us, own us, and bless 
us. C. H. Mackintosh 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php

A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/

Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/

More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com