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The Secret of Genuine GreatnessWho doesn’t want to be great, to leave an important legacy? Scripture tells us how.
Jesus said that if we want to be great, we have to be humble. Most of us would see humility as a good character quality, but certainly not the main ingredient of greatness! Where’s the drive, the bravado? It is a misconception that if we have humility, we would not want to be great. Jesus didn’t say that. He links greatness to humility. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and It’s a choice. Everyday we face the greatness choice – will we exalt ourselves, or will we humble ourselves? It’s a way of life. Humility and our Ambition One of the surprising things in the Gospels is that the disciples are often found talking about who is the greatest in the Kingdom– and they asked Jesus about it. In answer, He showed them what greatness is: … whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4 Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t try to be the greatest.” He didn’t tell them to deny or push down their ambition. He used the example of a child – one who accepts that he is dependent. Jesus was saying: Let humility manage your ambition. Being dependent doesn’t mean “sitting around waiting on God”. That isn’t humility, that’s laziness. Ambition moves us! It makes waves, pushes back, challenges assumptions, and stirs things up! Jesus did all those things, and He was the most humble among us. Humility and our need to be noticed Jesus knows that we all need to be noticed. The Pharisees used religion to meet that need. Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide… Phylacteries were symbols the Pharisees wore to show everyone that they were religious leaders. We have tons of symbols today, from brand-named jeans to car models. God doesn’t care about our car or our jeans – but He does care about why we drive it and why we wear them. It’s all about the heart. Place of honor at a banquet – recognition. If you want everything you do to be recognized, you want to be noticed too much. They wanted to be called Rabbi – titles. Titles should be emblems of service and responsibility, not verbal trophies. Proper recognition is very encouraging and inspires others. But we need to allow humility to manage our need to be noticed. Humility and our tendency to compare “…when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes It’s much better to be noticed than to make yourself noticed; better to be recognized than to force your way into recognition. Instead, go to people who don’t have any chance of recognition and sit and listen to their story. You will realize how much you have. We know Mother Teresa’s name, not because she was with presidents or kings. We know her name because she was with the lowest. Humility made a way – for greatness. Humility in our relationship with God Two men went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.” When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. Be careful how you characterize others. Be sure it’s not from a “higher” place where you’re better, smarter, and more favored. God does not enjoy that attitude in us. God created us with ambition, a desire to compete and win,
__________ Application Thoughts: Think of someone in your normal everyday contacts that you consider “great”. What made them so? Do you depend on things and symbols in your longing to be noticed? This week, sit down with someone who has not been applauded or noticed, someone with no title or symbols of greatness -- and listen to their story.
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