Today’s Verse
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:30
The Beautiful Surrender
“Less of me and more of You” sounds like loss. It feels like we’re giving something up, shrinking ourselves, becoming less than we could be. But John the Baptist, the man who first prayed this prayer, understood something profound: when you decrease so Christ can increase, you don’t lose yourself – you find yourself.
The problem with living a me-centered life is that it’s exhausting and ultimately empty. When everything revolves around our glory, our success, our recognition, we’re building a kingdom that can’t satisfy. We’re chasing applause that fades, achievements that lose their shine, and approval that’s never quite enough. And in the process, we miss the very purpose we were created for: to reflect the glory of God.
John knew his role. He was the voice preparing the way, not the message itself. He was the signpost pointing to Jesus, not the destination. And when Jesus arrived and people started following Him instead, John didn’t fight it. He celebrated it. His joy was complete because he understood: his purpose was never to build his own name, it was to lift up the Name above all names.
Today, what if you stopped trying to be the star of your own story and embraced being part of God’s much greater story? What if you laid down the need to be seen, heard, and celebrated, and found freedom in simply pointing people to Jesus? Less of you doesn’t mean you don’t matter, it means you finally matter for the right reasons.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, less of me and more of You, that’s the prayer of my heart today.
I’ve been living too much in my own strength, my own wisdom, my own way, and I’m tired of the emptiness that comes from making it all about me.
Teach me what it means to decrease so You can increase, to step back so You can step forward, to quiet my voice so Yours can be heard more clearly.
I confess I’ve made myself the center of my own story, chasing my glory instead of Yours, building my kingdom instead of advancing Yours.
Help me lay down my pride, my need for recognition, my desire to be seen and celebrated, so that You can shine through me instead of being overshadowed by me.
Remind me that true fulfillment comes not from elevating myself but from exalting You, that the more I surrender, the more room You have to work in and through my life.
Give me the humility to fade into the background when You need to be front and center, to point others to You instead of drawing attention to myself.
Let my life become less about me and more about You, until all that’s visible is Your love, Your power, Your grace, and people see Jesus instead of seeing me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.