- We would be wise to consider John the Baptist’s words in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Less of ourselves and more Jesus – the key to truly abundant life.
In February of 2023 a revival broke out on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. It was preceded by lots of prayer and the quiet desperation of spiritual need; it was followed by a wave of national exposure and media commentary.
In a recent interview in the Christian periodical The Plough, Asbury President Kevin Brown explains that one of the marks of the movement of God wasn’t that students wanted “more” but, actually, that many of them wanted “less.” The article didn’t delve into that comment much, but it certainly has set my mind to thinking.
My youngest son, Isaiah, was pressed into service playing guitar and leading music during the “Outpouring” (Asbury’s designation for the two weeks of spiritual movement) and later traveled abroad with a small team of students to give witness to what God had done during those special days. “Radical humility” and “authenticity” are words he used to describe what happened; while “less” never crossed his lips, it does reflect a similar impression.
When I lead revival services in churches, “more” is undoubtedly the theme. At Asbury the students, like others of their generation across this country and around the world, have experienced more – more exposure, more communication options, more noise, more clutter, more hurry, more consumption; even more talk about God and more religious busyness. What if all of this “more” – in a land materially and even seemingly spiritually prosperous, isn’t the answer?
College campuses can be exciting and impactful but also some of the most vacuous places in the world. There is constant comparison, intense academic expectation, moral experimentation, exhaustion, plenty of anxiety, and intellectual overload. What if revival begins with saying not “What can I get more of” but “What should I be doing without”? Kevin Brown noted that at the front of Hughes Auditorium (ground zero for the Outpouring,) many students left their smart phones on the altar. In our media-saturated world, the choice of “less” can be a path to freedom.
Just this week, I recommended to a student Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity. That volume explores how believers can pursue lives of simplicity both inwardly and outwardly, which in today’s world is distinctively counter-cultural. From parents to teachers to coaches to employers, the message often seems to be that chasing the next achievement is the ticket to success. But spiritually, what if is all wrong? What if the path to true fulfillment is less of what the world offers so there is more time and space in our lives for God’s presence and priorities?
Many people have chosen a “life verse”—a passage with particular import to an individual that is then adopted as a theme or motto. Often these verses contain encouragement and promise.
We would be wise to consider John the Baptist’s words in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Less of ourselves and more Jesus – the key to truly abundant life.
