What Is Greatness?

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By Martin Schlomer

It’s difficult to identify true greatness in our world today. Some would see it in 21-year-old Jordan Spieth winning the Masters Tournament in 2015. Others would look to Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, who became a billionaire at the young age of 23. These are great accomplishments, but are either a definition of true greatness?

Jesus was approached by two of His disciples who had a “small” request: “Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory” (Mark 10:37, NET). They wanted to be great. They wanted influence. They wanted power. They wanted recognition. They wanted to matter!

Before we criticize them, let’s be honest: we all want these same things. We may not think we want power or recognition, but we all want our lives to matter. When we look at it in that way, we all want greatness, don’t we?

But what does it take to obtain true greatness? Can anyone be great — even those of us who are just average, or unintelligent, or disabled, or plagued by anxiety? In Mark 10:43, Jesus says, “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” There we have it! The pathway that leads us into true greatness, real influence, and recognition has nothing to do with talents or accomplishments. True greatness is having the heart and practice of a servant.

So that’s it — we just need to serve others openheartedly. Sounds easy, right? Yet it’s not long before we discover how deeply Jesus cuts into our way of being.

Serving others isn’t something we can do just until we reach our goal of having a meaningful life. In fact, true greatness isn’t even something we can attain. Rather, true greatness is revealed by a life bound up in serving others. It never ends — it is a way of being that will extend into eternity.

Serving others is not something we do when we get around to it or can make time for it. It permeates our life. If we are to reflect our Father, it must be as natural as breathing.

Serving others challenges our sense of justice. We can’t do it only when someone serves us first or expresses appreciation for what we do. It’s something we do even when no one serves us in return and our efforts go unrecognized.

We serve because we are children of God. As children of the Kingdom, true greatness is not earned, but revealed, just as Christ’s greatness was revealed through His servanthood.

“But what about my ______________?” We all have a lot of “what abouts.” “What abouts” are detours that move us away from true greatness. True greatness is costly. Jesus made it clear: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). We cannot have a truly meaningful life, one marked by true greatness, without expecting to lay down our wants and needs to serve others wholeheartedly, just like Christ did.

Where do you begin? At Elim, we have many opportunities for you to join others in serving wholeheartedly. Many leaders are praying for servants who are eager to invest in the lives of others in the way Jesus describes. We need wholehearted servants for Sunday morning children’s ministries and the Awana ministry. Larry Short is praying for wholehearted leaders who will lead small groups. Kim Schlomer is praying for wholehearted leaders who will serve and disciple women at Elim. You can start — or continue — your life of service here in your own church body.

Every day we must face a choice. Will we spend our lives in pursuit of worldly greatness that will last but a moment? Or will we seek true greatness, a meaningful life of service to others?

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Greatness!

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By Jeff Foerster

True greatness is not about accomplishing great works, achieving great positions or “success,” or fulfilling one’s destiny or “calling.”

I challenge you to go back and read again the above sentence. Several times. Do you believe these words are true, or have you already begun to explain them away saying, “Yeah, except …” or, “I agree, but …”? Granted, on the surface it sounds counterintuitive. It may come across like the opening lines from a suspect motivational speech ending in, “That’s why I’m living in a van, down by the river!” So what then? Do I suggest shunning hard work and making a name for oneself?

Now, before you run off and vote socialist in upcoming elections and live off government largess (made available by China, Japan, and your hardworking neighbor), consider that the above statement is not a call to inaction. Rather, it is an invitation to shake off the malaise of discontent induced by a life lived off target. Being “driven,” “working hard,” “going the extra mile,” and “striving for excellence” can each be positive characteristics. The problem comes not from the degree of effort exerted, but the expected outcome. It is when we hold tightly to our vision, our calculated plan, that we set aside the purposes of God and relegate ourselves to lesser positions, though they might seem more desirable to human eyes.

Finding one’s strength in outcomes is alluring, precisely because it appeals to our sinful flesh. It does not require faith, which is what God desires, but relies on what can be seen, felt, experienced. Yet faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval (Hebrews 11:1-2). God has a grand plan, conceived in perfect wisdom and born of perfect love. Jesus tells us not to work for food that perishes, nor gather treasures upon the earth (John 6:27; Matthew 6:19). He also warns us concerning seeking the approval of men rather than that of God (Matthew 6:1-2, 5).

So what of this “making a name for oneself”? The truth is, God already has a name for you: son, daughter, and fellow heir with Christ. The question is not whether to trade a life spent pursuing significance for one of insignificance. Rather, it is a question of determining who decides what is significant—you, or the Lord? Are you willing to submit to His plans and His purposes? Will you trust that He knows what He is doing and where He is leading you, though you know not the details? Are you willing to trust God in the routine, in the “small things?” Are you willing to let God organize the priorities of the life He wants to live through you? You are not your own; you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Rest assured, “significance” is exactly what God has planned for you, though it may not look as you imagined, and it certainly will not be within your control. Unwittingly, a musical ensemble by the name of Pink Floyd illustrates in their song, “Wish You Were Here,” a choice and a warning for us: “Did you exchange, a walk-on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage?”

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