John 3:21-36 (Amplified Bible)
21But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].
22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the land (the countryside) of Judea, where He remained with them, and baptized.
23But John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, for there was an abundance of water there, and the people kept coming and being baptized.
24For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25Therefore there arose a controversy between some of John's disciples and a Jew in regard to purification.
26So they came to John and reported to him, Rabbi, the Man Who was with you on the other side of the Jordan [at the Jordan crossing]--and to Whom you yourself have borne testimony--notice, here He is baptizing too, and everybody is flocking to Him!
27John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.]
28You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear me out] that I stated, I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer].
29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the groomsman who stands by and listens to him rejoices greatly and heartily on account of the bridegroom's voice. This then is my pleasure and joy, and it is now complete. [S. of Sol. 5:1.]
30He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.]
31He Who comes from above (heaven) is [far] above all [others]; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and talks the language of earth [his words are from an earthly standpoint]. He Who comes from heaven is [far] above all others [far superior to all others in prominence and in excellence].
32It is to what He has [actually] seen and heard that He bears testimony, and yet no one accepts His testimony [no one receives His evidence as true].
33Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal of approval to this: God is true. [That man has definitely certified, acknowledged, declared once and for all, and is himself assured that it is divine truth that God cannot lie].
34For since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God's own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!
35The Father loves the Son and has given (entrusted, committed) everything into His hand.
36And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God's displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.]
Child of God, have you accepted the Truth of these two verses:
27John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.]
30He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.]
There is no such animal as a self-made man/woman. Everything you own; everything that you call a part of your life was granted to you from heaven – “there is no other source.”
What about verse 30? Is Jesus increasing in your life? Are you decreasing? How simple this is to grasp (For me, it was not always simple.)! As Jesus grows more prominent in my thoughts, my actions, my decisions, my physical world, my spiritual world, my mental world, my emotional world, my financial world, and my relational world, He increases and I decrease. The most unusual phenomenon occurs: I find more and more peace and joy.
Surrender for the Disciple is the sweetest word.
When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we surrendered every part of our lives to His Will. We are His. He is the Shepherd; we are the sheep. He is the Branch and we are the vines.
**Lord Jesus, I want You to increase in every area of my life. I want You to be more prominent and me to be less prominent. I want to grow and grow and grow. I want to be granted wisdom and revelation in all areas of my life so that You might increase. I love You, Lord. What a privilege to be Your Child. Amen.
