Faithfulness Before Greatness
Psalms 101:6
Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me:
he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
Who doesn't want to be great? No matter what the field of interest no body wants to be a failure. And deeper still no one want to be average. Who is it that we lift up in society? Those men and women that rise above the status quo. Those who are proficient in their field. The favorite sports plays are of last second shots as the buzzer is sounding in the background, the grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth, and the winning touchdown pass in overtime. The favorite biographies are of men and women who faced adversity and overcame tragedy in their moment of opportunity. Greatness. So many desire the title, but do not realize what it takes to achieve that quality.
There was a young boy who at an early age in life was captured and taken hostage to another country. His parents were most likely killed in the attack with the destruction of the town he called home. Miles away from home in an unfamiliar land this young boy, scared, nervous, and probably intimidated, made a crucial decision in his life. He decided to engage his faith that he had been taught as a boy. His name was Daniel. You will find as you read the book of Daniel the journey of a boy who develops into one of the most famous Bible characters we read about today. Daniel goes through cultural changes, kingdom shifts, and incredible pressures in his years of captivity. We find a glimpse of his greatness in Daniel 6:10. The Bible states, "...he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Daniel had developed a walk with God through the years....
There was another young boy many years before Daniel. He was the youngest son in the family. His older brothers were all men of war and they were his heroes. Growing up, everyone had to do their share in the home to keep things running. Coming from a big family, there were many responsibilities that had to be taken care of. This young boy was assigned to be the shepherd. He was to tend to his father's sheep in the pasture. What a design by God, for it was there that David developed a walk with God. David grew up to be the greatest king that Israel has had. When you read the Psalms you can't help but feel the intimate relationship that David had with God. So what made him so great?
Sin had filled the earth. In short time from Adam and Eve's sin darkness had corrupted the entire human race. God was going to destroy the earth because of its wickedness, but there was a man who found God's favor. This man came from an amazing family. He may have very well known Adam himself, for Adam was his great great great great great great....grandfather. Noah discovered something early in his life. He discovered how to walk with God. The Bible says in Genesis 6:9, "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Because of Noah you and I are alive today! I'd call that great!
So what's the point? So these men "walked with God"? I submit to you that David had no idea that he would be king when he started consistently doing right. Daniel had no idea that he would have to stand for right. Noah when he went out to pray didn't know that he wold be building an ark to save the planet. You see it was the consistent doing of right that enabled them to do amazing things. Let me make a couple of observations.
1. Greatness doesn't come randomly to anyone. No one wakes up one day and all off a sudden they're great. So many times we as individuals live in a fast paced, microwave society where everything has to happen now. May I say that greatness doesn't just appear, but is developed.
2. Greatness is in doing the simple fundamental things regularly. Longevity is becoming more and more a lost quality among men. Where are those people who hold a position at a company for decades? Men want quick fame and quick recognition without putting in the time to deserve such grandeur. It is the ball player that shoots hundreds of free throws in practice that when the game is on the line will hit that shot. No body sees the practice, but the one shot will be remembered. No body sees you read your Bible or pray on a daily basis, but when someone has a need and you have the answer you will impact that person. No one saw the thousands of times Daniel prayed, but after the lion's den, the whole country was to worship Jehovah God.
3. Greatness is not attained by pursuit of grandeur, but rather by faithful, unsolicited service. Notice that neither Daniel, David, nor Noah were looking to be great. They were simply doing what they were supposed to do, being where they were supposed to be, and living how they were supposed to live. God is the one who promoted them. You cannot attain greatness on your own. In fact, greatness is not even a prize to be won. It is a byproduct of humble service to God. You see God deserves all the glory for everything in our lives.
4. Greatness is not ours to glory in, but it is God who deserves our praise. If it were not for God working in your life, there would be no "greatness" as man terms it. God is looking for the faithful man that he can use to do his work. He is looking for a humble man who realizes that everything that he becomes is because of an almighty, merciful God who decided to use them. What an honor to be used of God. It is He who gets all glory and praise. So many times we abuse what little success that God allows us to have for our own glory. What a shame.
5. Greatness is really defined then as God using you in supernatural ways for his glory. I so want to be used by God, but God is looking for faithful men who will do the simple things consistently. Faithful means being full of faith. God designated a whole chapter in the Bible of faithful people in Hebrews 11. What makes them so special? They were found faithful by God so that He could use them in supernatural ways.
Let us strive to be faithful in our service to Christ so that He might find us able to be used of Him. What an incredible honor and opportunity!
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