他必兴旺，我必衰微。（约三30）
你若成为别人心中重要的人，你就偏离了神。作为主的工人，最大的职分是做新郎的朋友。当你发现有人靠近主耶稣，被主得着，就知道你在他身上所产生的影响是对的。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，以致世界或地狱的任何势力，都不足以叫他与耶稣基督分离。我们若一而再、再而三地滥竽充数，拦阻神的工作，说：“这个那个不该发生。”我们不但不是新郎忠实的朋友，反而把个人的同情心拿出来。结果，有一天那人会说：“他是个贼，偷去我对耶稣的爱情，如今我连他的形象也看不见了。”
当心，不要错用你与人同乐的心，要在正当的事上与他同乐。“新郎的朋友站着听见新郎的声音就甚喜乐……他必兴旺，我必衰微。”这话是欢喜快乐地说的，不是愁苦地说的，因别人终于看见新郎了！约翰说这就是他的喜乐。主的工人功成身退，不再被人思念。
你要为人尽所有的去警醒守望，直到你在那人身上听见新郎的声音。不管生活如何颠沛困苦，健康如何破败损伤，只要听见他的声音，就当喜从天降，满怀高兴。你可以经常看见耶稣基督先拆毁一个人，然后再建立。（太十34）
祈祷◆噢，我的神，愿我在你的火焰中焚烧和炼净——今天我的渣滓似乎太多；太少流露你那甜蜜而亲切的恩典。主啊，赦免我。
March 24: Decreasing Into His Purpose
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30
If you become a necessity to a soul, you are out of God’s order. As a worker, your great responsibility is to be a friend of the Bridegroom. When once you see a soul in sight of the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been in the right direction, and instead of putting out a hand to prevent the throes, pray that they grow ten times stronger until there is no power on earth or in hell that can hold that soul away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we become amateur providences, we come in and prevent God; and say – “This and that must not be.” Instead of proving friends of the Bridegroom, we put our sympathy in the way, and the soul will one day say – “That one was a thief, he stole my affections from Jesus, and I lost my vision of Him.”
Beware of rejoicing with a soul in the wrong thing, but see that you do rejoice in the right thing. “The friend of the Bridegroom . . . rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” This is spoken with joy and not with sadness – at last they are to see the Bridegroom! And John says this is his joy. It is the absolute effacement of the worker, he is never thought of again.
Watch for all you are worth until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another. Never mind what havoc it brings, what upsets, what crumblings of health, rejoice with divine hilarity when once His voice is heard. You may often see Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it. (Cf. Matt. 10:34.)