Bible Study on Greatness

 

Greatness 

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" (Matthew 18:1) 

 I once sat late into the night watching a college baseball game that went into extra innings. At stake was the opportunity to play for a national championship. The loser would have to go home. The momentum of the game shifted back and forth until one team did prevail. As I turned the television off, I said to myself, that was one great game.  

As I think about the matter of greatness, I find myself thinking about a lot of everyday things that surround us that are great. For instance, time, the period of our life from birth until death in which we experience the events that mold and shape our lives. Time is precious and priceless and it is fleeting, so use it wisely (Job 14:1-2, James 4:14, Psalms 39:4-5, Psalms 90:12, Titus 2:11-14, Ephesians 5:15-16, 1 Samuel 20:3). It's a little like, here one day, gone the next. 

And what about love? 1 Corinthians 13:13, "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." Love carries with it the thought of a strong affection for another arising out of personal ties, to reign in the heart deeply and firmly. There is no doubt in my mind that love is one of the greatest and most powerful principles of life. Our duties, our responsibilities as children of God are summed up in the word, love (John 14:15, Mark 12:30-31, John 13:34, 1Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:14-20).       The thought occurs to me that if everyone loved the Lord God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, if everyone loved their neighbor as they love themselves, what a great world this would be. 

The greatest purpose in life is to glorify God in everything that we do and say (Matthew 5:16, Romans 15:5-6, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 10:31). For so long as we live on this earth, our purpose, our ambition should be to be pleasing to the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:9). If our purpose is to glorify God, we must be willing to present our bodies as a living sacrifice acceptable to God, refusing to act in accordance with the standards and customs of the world (Romans 12:1-2). We must willingly devote our entire being to our God. It is just as we often sing, "All of thee and none of me." 

The greatest joy in this world today is the joy of salvation (Acts 8:37-39, Phil. 4:4, Psalms 51:12). Just knowing that there is a dwelling place, a building of God, a house not made with hands, free from all the cares, trials and burdens that often make this journey of life difficult awaiting our arrival brings to me and I pray to you also, the greatest joy imaginable (John 14:1-3, 2 Cor. 5:1-9, Rev. 21:3-4).

 The greatest things of life are not those momentary, fleeting experiences of our everyday life. I, for one, believe they are those things that pertain to God and the beautiful home prepared for us. I pray we never lose sight of the really "great thing".

 Charles Hicks