Greatness

Greatness

MY QUESTION for GOD

What is greatness in God’s eyes?

A MOMENT with GOD

Let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous.

Genesis 11:4

Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.”

Matthew 16:24

When children play “pretend” they almost always pretend to be someone great—a heroic firefighter, a brave soldier, a brilliant astronaut, a caring schoolteacher. Such games are innocent enough and might in fact inspire them to greatness. This kind of pretending is healthy, but somewhere between childhood and adulthood the innocence of pretending is lost. It often turns into an unhealthy way of hiding the parts of us we are ashamed of. We pose as someone greater than who we really are. God warns against pretending to be something we’re not, especially if we’re pretending to be spiritually great. There’s a difference between wanting to be a part of God’s great work and wanting to achieve personal greatness through doing God’s work. If you’re not sure which side you’re on, examine your motives. If the greatest benefactor of your achievements is yourself, then perhaps you are trying to find greatness in the wrong way. True greatness comes from knowing your real value in God’s eyes and being honest with yourself and others. It is better to be honest about your failures than to lie about your successes. That is why humility is necessary for true greatness. Don’t be fooled into striving to gain everything you desire in this world at the cost of your eternal rewards in heaven.

DIVINE CHALLENGE

Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.

Mark 9:35