GreaterSample

GREATER

Pride is sneaky. It’s not always “I’m the best.” Sometimes it’s “I’m capable enough on my own,” but that’s not reality. Living out the idea in John 3:30 means living less for ourselves, satisfying less of our desires, and depending less on our own abilities. At its core, ‘more Jesus and less self’ is about being less prideful. Once we understand that we can’t do one thing on our own, it highlights our dependence on the One who made us. It’s so easy to be lured into the world of self-obsession and fleeting, shallow praise for our own accomplishments. But the applause of others will only ever leave you mysteriously unfulfilled. Make your life’s mission pointing people to the Gospel and introducing them to Jesus, and thinking of yourself less happens naturally. In fact, the more we surrender ourselves to Jesus, the more our true selves we become. We’re not conformed to His likeness to lose all our uniqueness; we are transformed by His spirit to become the beloved we were born to be. We become less so He can make us into more. More loving, more loved. More ourselves, more His. More on mission, more full of purpose. The only parts of us we lose are parts we were never supposed to have. And remember this: the only way our short lives can matter in the big scheme of things is when we cause others to notice Jesus in us and to begin living for God. C.S. Lewis said, “True humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less.” Devote yourself to thinking of Jesus more and you’ll automatically think of yourself less.