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Christ Magnified
John Ogden Sr
June 3, 2025
“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, NKJV).
We all desire to be recognized and to be seen. It is a part of being human. It is part of our being broken. We want that attention. Fame is appealing to the natural man. But as Christians, we should be very careful. We should be cautious that our ministry to a lost and dying world is never about our being seen.
True ministry, the kind that begins and ends with the Spirit working, is not about us. It's not about us at all. It is about the Holy Spirit working through us. If we cannot get over ourselves, then the Holy Spirit will not be able to get over us. If we cannot surrender and die to ourselves, then the Holy Spirit cannot truly come alive in us. For true ministry to take place, the kind that changes lives and worlds, we must decrease, and Christ must increase in us. We must not be concerned about what man thinks of us, either positively or negatively. We must be wholly consumed with the desire to be a pure vessel for the Holy Spirit to work through.
Just as Christ had to die in the flesh so the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit could come alive in Him, so you and I must be like Christ and die in the flesh. We must surrender the wants and desires of our natural man. We must give up our insecurities and cling to God's certainties.
Let us today determine to live not for ourselves but for Christ alone. Let us determine today that in all that we are and do, we would decrease so that Christ can increase!
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