God’s agenda is to advance His Kingdom down the field of life. To do so, He’s looking for men who’ll rise to the occasion in their bid for greatness. Yet in order to rise to the occasion to be great, you must first allow yourself to want it. You were made for it. It’s okay to want it. In fact, it’s more than okay; it’s a mandate.
Far too many men are satisfied with the practice squad. Far too many are satisfied with just being okay, with getting by, or living a mundane and ordinary life. As the Scottish knight and military man William Wallace said, “Every man dies. Not every man truly lives.” Many, if not most, of the problems we face today exist because men are thinking too small. They are either not thinking about greatness at all, or they’re thinking about it according to the world’s grid.
You may have one last objection to the idea that God wants Kingdom Men to aim for greatness. After all, didn’t Jesus say that servanthood is better than greatness?
When James and John, the Sons of Thunder, sought a place of honor in Christ’s Kingdom, the other disciples gave them a hard time. But Jesus never corrected the two men for what they wanted. He only corrected them for how they wanted to go about accomplishing it: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant . . .”[1]
Jesus didn’t tell the men not to wish to be great. He told them not to try for greatness in the way that the world does—using power, intimidation, fear, and leverage. The rulers of the Kingdom are much different from the rulers of the world. True greatness is achieved through service. It is outward-focused and others-driven.
[1] Matthew 20:25,26
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