He must increase, but I must decrease —John 3:30
If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.” Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, “You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.”
Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. “. . . the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness-at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again.
Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34).
為道日損，合乎主旨
他必興旺，我必衰微。 （約三30）
你若成為別人心中重要的人，你就偏離了神。作為主的工人，最大的職分是做新郎的朋友。當你發現有人靠近主耶穌，被主得著，就知道你在他身上所產生的影響是對的。你不必伸手去阻止他的痛苦，反而要求神使那痛苦加增十倍，以致世界或地球的任何勢力，都不足以叫他與耶穌基督分離。我們若一而再、再而三的濫竽充數，以神明自居，打岔神說：[這個那個不該發生。 ]我們不但不是新郎忠實的朋友，反而把個人的同情心拿出來。結果，有一天那人會說：[他是個賊，偷去我對耶穌的愛情，如今我連他的形像也看不見了。 ]
當心，不要錯用你與人同樂的心，要在正當的事上與他同樂。 [新郎的朋友站著聽見新郎的聲音就甚喜樂……他必興旺，我必衰微。 ]這話是歡喜快樂地說的，不是愁苦地說的，因別人終於看見新郎了！約翰說這就是他的喜樂。主的工人功成身退，不再被人思念。
你要為人盡所有的去警醒守望，知道你在那人身上聽見新郎的聲音。不管生活如何顛沛困苦，健康如何破敗損傷，只要聽見他的聲音，就當喜從天降，滿懷高興。你可以經常看見耶穌基督先拆毀一個人，然後再建立（太十34）
祈禱◆噢，我的神，願我在你的火焰中焚燒和煉淨－－今天我的渣滓似乎太多；太少流露你那甜蜜而親切的恩典。主啊，赦免我。
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