Text: John 3:22-31

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

It’s been said: to laugh at others is egotistic; to laugh at oneself is humble. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that humor and humility come from the same root word, because both can be therapeutic when we begin to take ourselves too seriously.

If anyone could’ve taken himself too seriously, it would’ve been John the Baptist. He had a very important role in the Gospel narrative. His prophetic purpose was to pave the way for Jesus as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” His message was one of repentance, and vitally important to the cause of Christ. But in John 3, we see somewhat of a rivalry unfolding, at least in the eyes of some. A dispute arises between John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. It seems that one might question whether John’s baptism was pure or legit, because Jesus was drawing larger crowds and His disciples were now baptizing more people than John.

Had John been an insecure leader, this might’ve really bothered him. But John didn’t take himself too seriously. That is, he didn’t see his image or reputation as something that needed to be preserved. Rather he summed up his life mission in this statement: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). His whole purpose was to give way to Jesus—to make less and less of himself, and more and more of Jesus. Therefore John had no regrets about ‘losing’ the crowds to Jesus; it was the fulfillment of his work and hope, even though others saw his ministry or ‘brand’ as failing.

John’s humility caused him to rightly give way to Jesus rather than compete for the spotlight. John understood his role. Therefore, he didn’t take himself too seriously. He knew that he must decrease for Jesus to increase.

You know, grace is an amazing gift that frees us from the bondage of viewing our lives as an image or reputation that needs to be protected. It frees us from the perceptions of others and our own perfectionism. It also frees us from the need for credit. Humility is the result of taking God more serious than ourselves—It’s valuing His glory more precious than our own need for recognition.

Humility helps us to get over ourselves.

Ethel Barrymore, regarded as the First Lady of the American Theater, said,

“You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself.”

I know from experience that my life changed the day I had my very first chuckle at myself—not the kind of chuckle that stems from telling yourself a joke you’ve never heard before (wink, wink), but the kind of laughter that rests in God’s plan regardless of the perceptions that others have of you, or those inner voices that want you to be ashamed and embarrassed at something you’ve messed up. It’s a quiet laugh of the soul that says, “God, I’m a mess, but Your purposes are going to be accomplished in my life despite all of my failures and mistakes.”

Yep, getting over ourselves is part of growing up and making room for more of Jesus in our lives. We should take Christ and His mission seriously. We should think about eternity seriously. We should take our work and our responsibilities seriously. But when we get too wrapped up in ourselves we get spiritually disoriented and live from the outside looking in rather than the inside looking out. Everything in our culture is screaming, “It’s all about you.” But the more we are able to “get over ourselves” the more seriously we can fit into God’s redemptive mission in the world today.

Corrie ten Boom said:

“Look at the world and be distressed. Look within and be depressed. Look at Jesus and be at rest.”

As followers of Jesus, it should be our desire to get over ourselves and make room for more of His glory. He must increase. We must decrease. Think about that, beloved, as you seek to abide in Him this week.

Prayer

Father, sometimes we can be really hard on ourselves. We can strive for perfection and afford ourselves very little grace. We can be overly conscious about the perceptions of others, or adamant about defending our own image. Too much self-consciousness can even make us critical of others. But Your Word gives us a better way. Forgive us for taking ourselves too seriously—for feeling like we have to live up to an image that needs to be protected. Help us to break free from the bondage of being overly self-conscious. Holy Spirit, teach us to become more God-conscious, and to even have a good laugh at ourselves when it’s needed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Humility is taking God more serious than ourselves—It’s valuing His glory above our need for credit. Tweet this

Questions for Reflection and/or Family Discussion:

1. How often are you able to laugh at yourself? What do you find yourself laughing about?
2. In what ways do you take yourself too seriously? Have you ever been tempted with the need to defend yourself only to hear God whisper: Relax, I got this?
3. In what ways have you ever seen churches or Christian organizations become more concerned with their ‘brand’ than the glory of Jesus?
4. What are some of the lessons we can learn from John the Baptist’s humility?
5. How can you get over yourself this week and make room for more of Jesus and His glory in your daily interactions? Where can you decrease so that He can increase?

Subscribe to “Abiding In Him” and get the latest devotional in your Inbox once a week.

The post Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously appeared first on Jimmy Larche.