Greatness, It’s Not About You

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant Matthew 23:11

How do you define greatness? Is it a researcher or physician who discovers a miraculous treatment? Is it an extremely talented performer or sports figure that consistently makes the headlines?

So often we compare greatness with popularity. Everybody loves a superstar. No one takes time to know the person that works silently behind the scenes. Because they are not the "star", they are not recognized. Yet, without their help the superstar would not be able to do what he does so well.

I work with a doctor who treats clogged up heart arteries. I have to admit that what he does in the heart is quite incredible. But without someone to set up the case, and someone to give the drugs, and someone to monitor, and someone to order the supplies and so on, that doctor would do more harm than good. In fact, he probably would just give it up.

Jesus taught His disciples that His kingdom wasn’t about status, power, position or recognition, but service. That’s where the real greatness lies. We have it all backwards. We want to be "Da Man"; we want all the credit. We want to make people look at us and say, "Wow". We consider a servant someone low and unprofitable. But Jesus saw it differently.

Greatness. It’s not about us. If you desire to be great, instead of hanging out with elite crowd, better find some servants.

Serving others is important. When we can do something to make things better or easier for someone else, that’s really special. So what if we never make the headlines. Who cares? We did it, and that’s all that matters.

We all want to be recognized for our work, but many of us will never be appreciated to the extent that we deserve. That’s the way life is in a competitive and self-serving world. But wherever we go, whether at home or in the community, we must look for opportunities to serve. That way we can be sure that we are doing our best for work for God. We may not get the applause, but we will get our reward.

By: Edmund Brown