John the Baptist knew his place. He knew that he was simply the one who was preparing the way, and that all the attention should be on Jesus. He was like a best man whose task is to do everything possible to make the wedding go smoothly, but who should never draw attention to himself. John knew what his God-given role was, and he was clearly happy with it. His goal was to become less and less so that Jesus could become greater and greater.

It is never appropriate for Christian leaders to become stars and draw attention to themselves. I thank God for men like Billy Graham who gained considerable fame but who consistently pointed people to Jesus, and did so with amazing effectiveness. It is believed that more than three million responded to his call to accept Jesus as their personal saviour, and that more than two billion people heard him preach, whether at public events or on the radio. Nobody listening to Billy Graham would have concluded that he was trying to draw attention to himself. His focus was on Jesus, and Jesus alone.

Today, God calls us to do exactly the same as John the Baptist. We need to be moving increasingly into the shadows so that Jesus gets the attention and worship that is rightfully his. This is not to deny the importance of the gifts and responsibilities that we have, but they have been given to us so that we can draw attention to the bridegroom, Jesus himself. If we turn ourselves into the stars of the show, we have totally missed the point.

What would it mean for you to become less and less?

Lord Jesus, help me in this and every day to make you the focus of my life. Amen