Decreasing and Increasing

Decreasing in ourselves and increasing in Christ involves our lives desiring to be something more than simply ourselves. Our lives if lived in the sole pursuit of our own pleasures will ultimately lead to a life of selfishness, and eventually a very lonely life. When Christ calls us to follow Him, it is not only in our sacrifice that we gain something better, but in our continued living and following Christ and His ways. Our lives continue to become more and more Christ-like as we follow Jesus more, even in obedience as He was to the cross. While we may make a decision for Christ, becoming more Christ-like is the purpose of every follower of Christ. While our journey may take many years, we are constantly being refined more and more by God’s Spirit in us.
Where we are decreasing is in our legalistic tendencies and the sacrificing of our old life. While it may be difficult at first, the end result of a life lived entirely in the embrace of Christ is that we are continually being refined. While it may be difficult to entirely turn and sacrifice all that is precious to us for Christ in the beginning, as we follow Christ, we are continually focused on a new life lived with Him. In that, perhaps our lives are changed slowly as we begin and continue to learn to trust in Him more and more. While we may not be perfect right away in all our behavior and character, God has paid for those sins with Jesus Christ on the cross. We are not the center of our own lives any longer, but continually setting our eyes on Jesus Christ. While He increases in our lives, our lives and our hearts begin to decrease as we are continually overcome by His forgiveness on the Cross that cost Him everything, while continually resting in His grace that we continue to draw upon.