Sho Baraka - Talented 10thSample

Ali (Greatness)

By John Onwuchekwa

Believe it or not, the Bible doesn't condemn the desire to be successful. Once we become Christian, many of us think we have to throw our desires for success and greatness overboard in the name of humility. We’ve seen the pitfalls of celebrities, actors and athletes in their single-minded pursuit of greatness, glory and grandeur. Their falls from fame make it easy for us to think that the only way to protect ourselves from the life-shattering outcomes they’ve had is to avoid the road to greatness altogether. As a result, what you often have in Christendom is a group of people that have settled for mediocrity in their respective arenas. When this takes place, it becomes difficult to convince those that don’t know Jesus that He is a great, grand, creative, excellent God, because our work is such a poor reflection of Him. Understand that throughout the Scriptures, God doesn’t condemn this desire for greatness; rather, He gives a pathway towards it. He provides us with direction to help as a safeguard along the way.

In Luke 9, Jesus’ disciples are arguing about who the greatest is and Jesus doesn’t respond by condemning their desire to be great. Their desire isn’t wrong; their desire is human. The desire, however, has been distorted and needs to be set on the right track. Knowing this, instead of removing the desire for greatness, Jesus redirects their journey towards greatness. The rest of the Bible follows suit, and the pathway to greatness and success that God lays out is primarily lined with two things: (1) service; and, (2) soaking in Scripture.

The pathway Jesus gives His disciples is, for one, paved with acts of service. Serving reminds you that Christianity is not primarily about you or what people will do for you in light of your greatness. Greatness in this life isn’t an end in itself; it’s a means to a greater end. My greatness (as exemplified by increased platforms, attention, a notable voice) is only a benefit in so much as I use that platform to serve someone else.

Platforms are given to prop up individuals that have no way of having their needs met. Greatness is not about me, it’s a tool intended for us.

Not only is the road to greatness paved with acts of service, but it’s also paved with Scripture. James and Joshua both make this same point. God promises success as we meditate on His Word. More than acts of service, I think this is a great safeguard in that it constantly helps us to reorient our mind to what God is trying to do. Success can be intoxicating and it’s so easy to get caught up in the pursuit of success that we lose focus on our Savior – the reason we desire to be great. Meditating on Scripture reorients our hearts and keeps our eyes on Him. This way we’re ensured that we achieve true success. William Carey put it the best when he said, “I’m not afraid of failure, I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” Constantly reorienting our minds to see how God sees provides great guardrails to ensure that this is never the case.

The best way to avoid the pitfalls that can come with greatness is not to avoid the pursuit altogether. Instead, it’s just to make sure that you are on the right path.

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