Motives to Greatness

Thursday, June 20, 2013 Posted by Debbie Legg

What’s so wrong about greatness, and what’s so great about serving?

As so many things with God, it all goes to motive. God is mostly concerned with what is in our hearts.

Moses was a great man, arguably one of the greatest the world has ever known. Yet God talked to him as friend to friend. Why? Because of his heart. Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3

David was a great man also in many ways. God chose him to be king because ”I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” Acts 13:22

By contrast, Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. Acts 12:21-23

I won’t even begin to mention all of the proud and evil kings of Israel and the myriad ways God orchestrated their downfalls. You can read for yourselves.

But the ultimate example of the greatest being the servant is Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Philippians 2:6-9

If Jesus’ motives were humility, obedience and love, how much more should ours be?

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Matthew 20:26

"Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." Mark 9:35