Then a question from John's disciples arose with the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, He who was with you beyond Jordan, to whom you bore witness, behold, He baptizes, and all come to Him! And John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from Heaven. You yourselves bear witness to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Then my joy is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. - John 3:25-30, MKJV

    Every believer through experience can relate to these words of John the Baptist.  He must increase, but I must decrease!  We know this to be true, but not just through the scriptures, but through our own experiences.  Envision a candle on a table, ever glowing and lighting up the room.  A small flame will not cause the candle to diminish rapidly, but a large flame will.  And that is the way it is with the believer.  

    The more Christ burns brightly in the believer's life, the less he thinks of himself, and the more he is diminished.  The more the redeemed saint learns of
  the Gospel,  
  the Lord's sovereignty,
  His immutability,
  His omnipetence,
  His omnipresence,
  His goodness,
  His righteousness,
  His grace,
  His mercy,
  and His eternal love through the redeeming blood of the Son of God, he will think less and less of himself.

    The believer learns to be just like that candle in the darkness.  Glory will shine forth; not that of the individual; but the glory of Christ.  Through time and experience, the believer learns humility and the joy of strength in the Lord.   As John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."