Most people think that, in order to be great, they must be wealthy or popular or famous. Others think they must have great talent in athletics or business. Still others think in terms of political power. But did you know that you could have all these things and still not be great? Even more important, did you know that you can be great, even if you don't have any of these things?
Here's how. In Matthew 20:26,27, Jesus said: "...whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave." Now, most people do not think of servants as being very great. And that's just the problem: they aren't thinking right!
Consider Jesus. Surely, everyone must agree that He achieved true greatness. He was without doubt the great personality in history. How did He become great? The very next verse says: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). So, Jesus was great because He served others, even to the extent of dying to save men from sin.
But anyone can be a servant, and that means that anyone can be great. Just study the life of Jesus, obey His teaching, and follow His example of serving other people. If you do this, many people will think you are not very great, but some people will really appreciate you. And most important of all, God will consider you to be great and will eternally reward you.
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2005; gospelway.com
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