GREATNESS
“….Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” – Matt.20:26-27
We live in a world obsessed with “greatness,” yet we do not even know how to define it. We honor those we deem great with fortune and fame, even when there is no true justification for it. And to make matters worse, we seek to emulate them and teach our children to do the same. It is heartbreaking to see young people aspiring to become like their Hollywood idols or sport heroes, with the idea that greatness could be found in reaching their goal.
All that is bad enough but it is more tragic when we assume that we have actually achieved greatness and think of ourselves as being among the great ones. Our vain pride then demands that others give us their attention, adoration, and appreciation. And we are quick to complain when we don’t get what we think we deserve. We are highly offended if we are counted among the common men. Having reached a certain level of income, or acquired a certain amount of fame, or gained a certain measure of authority we think we have entered the gate of greatness. We assume we are better than the “average Joe”.
Our Lord, however, set the record straight. He tells us the person who is truly great seeks to be gracious rather than great. He gives rather than gets, serves rather than being served by others. He might be a poor, uneducated, plain, common man, but in the eyes of the Lord, the One who matters most, he is among the greatest of men. Rather than seeking to please himself, he is humble, loving, and kind. And you can rest assured that such a person will not go unnoticed or unrewarded by the Lord. Great shall be his reward in heaven. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
