We all know that person, and we all hope that to one degree, it is not us. That person who is the main topic of their own conversation. They are the main character in their story. Their advice is the wisest in a given situation. You have heard it. “Well, I told them thus…” In fact, rare is the person who talks more about others and less about themselves.
I heard of an old pastor who said he could always tell when a person was a growing Christian because this person would always talk more about Christ and less about himself. That has always convicted me and probably not changed me enough.
When someone understands what Jesus did on the cross to pay for their sins, and as he or she matures in their new life in Christ, they simply see themselves getting smaller and smaller. The issues of life, problems of this world, and dramas of the day, well, they just fade. It is like when the sun comes up, and you no longer notice the porch light is on.
John the Baptist was this incredible figure. People were walking miles to hear him preach. They were discussing his teaching and many were baptized because they liked what he said enough to publicly say, “I agree.”
But, as Jesus came to him to be baptized and begin His ministry, John was content to be the porch light which was no longer noticed.
It is a unique thing when one realizes that this world is not about them. When their opinion is not the most important thing and their need is not the most pressing need.
This is where the truth of the Bible and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ become so important. Yes, God loves you. Yes, Jesus died for you. But that does not make you the point. It makes God the point. He is glorified.
John the Baptist recognized that his ministry was about Jesus, not himself. John 3:30 states, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” You may need to not only stop being the point of all of your own stories, but even stop being the point of your own life.
It is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, we want church and even the Bible to be about me. Help me, encourage me, change my life. And it does. But it does so through learning to deny ourselves. Pick up the cross and follow Jesus.
This means that the point of my life becomes about Jesus and the glory of the Father. Then, as I decrease, Jesus increases, and my life reaches its ultimate goal of reflecting glory to God. Not myself.
What’s the point of my life? To point to Christ!
Pastor Rick Goertzen
Countryside Bible Church – Hampton
