I MUST DECREASE

"He must increase, but I must decrease."  (John 2:30).

If I were to pick one book (other than the Bible of course) that has influenced my Christian walk more dramatically than any other, it would probably be The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee.  It is truly a Christian classic and should be required reading for any child of God as it lays a solid foundation upon which believers can build their faith.  It clearly defines the necessity of being "in Christ," and explains important concepts such as justification, sanctification, the blood of Jesus, baptism into Christ, being dead to the law, walking in the Spirit, etc.  I have found its message to be of enormous practical help as I have endeavored to fight the good fight of faith. 

I would like to share the following two excerpts from Mr. Nee's book:

·        "God's normal for a Christian can be summarized as follows: I no longer live!  Now it is Christ Who lives His life in me (Gal. 2:20)."

·        "God's way of deliverance is altogether different from man's way.  Man's way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God's way is to remove the sinner.  Many Christians mourn over their weakness, thinking that if only they were stronger all would be well.  But God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger; rather, it is by making us weaker and weaker.  God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man, but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything, but by entirely removing him from the scene of action."

Man's ways are the complete opposite of God's ways.  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth , so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8,9).  Our fallen nature is not dependant on God, and neither does it want to be.  It wants to take things in its own hands and "get 'er done."    No matter how many times we fail, however, it is still difficult to admit we need help.  The Apostle Paul understood this, and described the human condition perfectly when he said, "For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.  For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.  Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me.  So I discover this principle: when I want to do good, evil is with me."  (Romans 7:18-21 HCSB).

Until we are thoroughly convinced of the utter helplessness and depravity of fallen man, we will continue to try to drive the car ourselves, only asking for God's assistance after we have wrecked it.  Many say with pride that God is their co-pilot, but until they switch seats with Him they are going to always be resisting His will.  What arrogance it is for us to assume that God is going to let us take the wheel now just because we call ourselves Christians, when we have no more idea of where we're going or how to get there than we did before we knew God.  And to add insult to injury, we expect Him to bless every idea and every petition that pops into our heads.  It is He Who has called us to follow Him, not the reverse.  We wonder why our lives are not blessed, or our prayers answered, when we treat our Lord as if He were our servant, and not the reverse.  "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."  (James 4:3).  We must learn to lose our life in order to gain the abundant life of Christ.  "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  (Proverbs 16:25).

We must recognize our own foolishness and weakness before we can expect to know His wisdom and strength in our lives.  He Who said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness" is the same Who allowed Himself to be crucified in weakness so that He could live according to the power of God.  We also are spiritually weak in ourselves, but we find that we can live in Christ through the power of God.  (2 Corinthians 12:9; 13:4)

So, don't berate yourself for your weakness and failure, and don't think that a greater effort on your part, or a stronger resolve, is going to make any difference.  Instead, embrace your necessities as Paul did, and turn your attention to believing, and not doing.  Trust the Savior to change you from within by faith in His finished work.  By all means acknowledge your sins, and turn away from them, but then embrace God's promise of righteousness by faith.  Our confidence in our own abilities needs to diminish a little more each day in order for Christ to truly be our all and all.  Focusing on what we can do - or even what we can do with God's help - is a humanistic gospel that runs counter to Jesus' teachings.  Let us therefore die to self, and decrease so that the Lord can increase in us and live His life through us.