Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in images, song and lyrics from Joy Williams singing Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing of what should be the desire of all Christians - to have others see our Lord in the way we live our lives.
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Highlight Verse[s]: John 3:30 [NLT] ... 30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less..
… John the Baptist declares how his spotlight must diminish in light of the coming of The Messiah.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 3: 26-36 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Author Apostle John relates how John the Baptist declares how he, as the one prophesying for the coming of Messiah must seen Him increase while the spotlight on him diminishes.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 147:5 [NLT] … 5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!
… The greatness of The LORD declared in song.
Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
… Jesus, at His Ascension, called on His disciples - one and all (that’s us!) - to be His witnesses on this earth until He comes again for His Church.
Reference Passage : … 1John 4:4 [NLT] … 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
… God, thru John, declares how the Spirit of God in us is greater, dwelling in the hearts of Christians, than the spirit (of the devil) in this world.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, relates a personal story about the desire to be recognized and taking the limelight away from Christ in his life. … The ODB author wrote: When my pastor asked our class a difficult question about the life of Jesus, my hand shot up. I had just read the story, so I knew this one. And I wanted the others in the room to know that I knew it too. After all, I’m a Bible teacher. How embarrassing it would be to be stumped in front of them! Now I was embarrassed by my fear of embarrassment. So I lowered my hand. Am I this insecure?
All too often in my quiet times each morning, these ODB entries remind me of a reality in my sin nature; and that is the desire to be recognized or seen as greater than I am. And today was one of those times, … where I was immediately convicted by the Joy Williams song and my desire to take the limelight in life off of my Lord and Savior, King Jesus, and have it be on me.
All I can say, and I pray I’m joined by my readers today, is that my heart is what is seen in the attached photo … to make my image decrease and my Lord’s increase as others see Him in me rather than the ever-present me in me. Fortunately, God has placed His Spirit in me - and all Christians - to give me [us] the empowering grace to do just that. And so, let’s all join in prayer that He will increase as we decrease today; … and even more so tomorrow.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving me Your sanctifying grace to help me quit photobombing You in my life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me put Jesus in the limelight of our lives, doing all we can to be His witnesses today … and saying again, even more tomorrow. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
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