Day 5
Wouldn't it be great to be great? You know what
I mean- a famous person, an extraordinary individual, a legend in your own
time. And it wouldn't just be about the press coverage, the media interviews,
and the best seats at sporting events. Being great would be great because you
would know deep in your heart that your life mattered. You would be able to
justify your existence, confident that you had left your mark in time and
space. But I guess being that kind of person is reserved for just a few folks.
You know, the ones who are highly talented, extremely educated, and in the
right place at the right time. The rest of the population has about as much
chance of achieving greatness as going to the moon right?
I've got a radical thought for you- so pay
attention because your chance at greatness is just around the corner. In fact
it can start just as soon as you finish reading this devotion.
You see, it all depends on how you define being
'great'. If that means popularity, money, or something named after you, then
you're right- you are probably never going to have that happen.
But let me ask you- do you know the names of
the rich and famous from just 100 years ago? They thought they were pretty hot
stuff at the time, but now they're buried and took nothing with them. Maybe
some things were named after them, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't recognize
most of the names if I heard them.
But there is another kind of greatness - one
that the greatest of all talked about.
Here's what He said: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28)
Here is a person who knows what He was talking
about. Just for the record, here are the official results:
He was born in an obscure village. The child of
a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village where he worked in a
carpenter shop until he was thirty. He never wrote a book. He never held an
office. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never
traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did
none of the things usually associated with greatness. He had no credentials but
himself. He was only thirty three. His friends ran away. One of them denied
him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While dying, his executioners
gambled for his clothing; the only property he had on earth when he was dead.
He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
"Twenty centuries have come and gone and
today Jesus is the central figure of the human race, and the leader of
mankind's progress. All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that
have ever sailed, all the parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that
ever reigned put together, have not affected the life of mankind on earth as
powerfully as that one solitary life." (Author Unknown)
Jesus showed us that we can all achieve
greatness by considering others more important than ourselves. If we do that,
we'll leave an impact that will last for eternity. What a contrast to the
typical attitude of the "great" person!
Here's a quote for us to consider:
“Everybody can be great...because anybody can
serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make
your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A
soul generated by love.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Questions:
Which kind of "greatness" are you
pursuing right now?
How could you be a better servant to those around you?
How much is your heart "full of grace" and your soul "generated by love?"
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