The Biggest Loser
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden He must become greater; I must become less. —John 3:30
The Biggest Loser is a television program on NBC that brings overweight contestants together to see who can, in essence, become the biggest loser — lose the most weight. The contestants are monitored by professionals as they diet, exercise and compete to shed the most pounds. The person at the end who has lost the most weight is not only crowned the biggest loser, but takes home a $250,000 prize.
As John was baptizing followers in the Jordan River, some of his disciples approached him jealously reporting that many were going to Jesus instead of John to be baptized. John understood something they didn't. John knew his role was to prepare the way for the Messiah. John was not jealous of what Jesus was doing; he was filled with joy. John knew that as Jesus became greater and greater, he would ultimately become less. That is how it is supposed to be…for all of us.
There is no one greater than Jesus. Like John, we are to strive to be a reflection of Jesus in our lives. It is Jesus who saves, it is Jesus who brings change, it is Jesus who is greater than all. When is comes to our Christian faith, we all need to become the biggest loser. I'm not talking about shedding pounds, but there are things in our lives that we must shed in order for us to become less and for Jesus to be more.
Have you been giving yourself all the credit and glory for the blessings and work the Lord has been doing in your life? Perhaps you need to shed pride. Or maybe you are carrying an extra few pounds of selfishness. Perhaps you need to focus on putting others before yourself. If not, those extra loads of greed, gluttony, dishonesty, anger, control, fear, guilt and so on can weigh you down, keeping you from becoming all that God intends.
It's time to start shedding these pounds. One way to do this is to call out to the Lord and ask for help. Don't be weighed down by holding on to areas that are not of the Lord As you become less, make sure to point to Him who becomes more. The more you have of Jesus, the harder it is to hang on to that extra weight.
GOING DEEPER:
- Pick an area of your life that you would like to be the "biggest loser." Where do you need to become less and allow Jesus to become more?
- Just as in weight-loss programs, it is always helpful to have others walking with you. Find someone you trust whom you can tell about what you want to lose and ask for accountability.
FURTHER READING:
John 3:22-33; John 19:19-30
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