The Iron Throne
“He must increase and I must decrease…” (John 3:30). Think about the enormity of that statement…the antithesis of ego. This is not just John the Baptist proclaiming the messiah. This is every single person who becomes a follower of Christ. To recognize and submit to this proposal is one of the most difficult in the Bible. Essentially, it is a form of suicide. Intentionally nurturing His presence presupposes neglecting your own. You are choosing to make someone else more important than yourself. And not just in a specific situation—no “Practice random acts of kindness”—nope, you are making a lifestyle choice.
My first objection is that this is contrary to our most basic human nature. We grew up on Darwin’s formula: survival of the fittest. I have to take what I want to be mine. Like every other creature, our most elemental instinct is to choose to live. Almost everything that I see in the natural world encourages me to think of myself first. “He must increase and I…” What kind of nonsense is that?
My second objection: What is my ego, anyway? Is it Dallin Malmgren—my appearance, my personality, my memory, my role in life, my dreams (future and nighttime), my family, my social media presence, my bank account—all of this draws power from my ego. If He is increasing, what is becoming of all of that?
Moving to my third objection: Even if I agreed to this outrageous proposition, how do I enact it? Do I put myself on the shelf? Turn over the keys and wait? If I laid in bed and said, “Okay, God, it’s Yours, take over,” what would happen? I’m pretty sure I’d still have to get up and brush my teeth in the morning. And then what? How do I increase Him?
Man, I have just about talked myself out of decreasing…but not quite. John’s friend, the apostle Paul, wrote: “…it is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) They merged! Jesus became the guiding force in his life. And what became of Paul? Did he evaporate…shrivel up…disappear? He became one of the most powerful personalities in the history of humankind. Christ’s increasing does not eviscerate you—it transforms you into the person you were meant to be.
So I’m on board with the increasing and the decreasing. Back to my third objection: how do I enact it? Some of it is so basic it is mathematical—do more for others (increasing)…think less about yourself (decreasing). When you come to choices between right and wrong (by His and your assessment), choose right. Pray…you always have to pray. Move forward with extreme patience. You can’t do it on your own. If you concentrate on His increasing, your decreasing will follow along unconsciously.
“He must increase and I must decrease” is not a death sentence, or even a stern command for some sort of ascetic living. It is a promise, an invitation, a formula for abundant living. It is the road to learning how accessible He is. The way to deal with my ego is not to obliterate it…I just need to take it off the throne. The throne doesn’t belong to me.
Have you ever listened to Joseph Campbell’s chats with Bill Moyers? The power to f Myth. Food for thought.
Gretch