I WANT TO BE GREAT: PART 2: SMALL BEGINNINGS

Two Sundays ago, we continued on the part two of our series I WANT TO BE GREAT. If you are to hear from lives of great people of whom you know today, chances are you'll hear about the inspiring story of their journey. From rags to riches, failure to success, janitor to company CEO, from shoemaker to multi-billion company owner. We hear a lot of stories like these, taking advantage of oppurtunities that will come along their way, making the most out of every current opportunity, giving their whole heart, energy and effort - then success comes!

True it is in the marketplace and secular world. It's also fascinating that God's operates in this manner in a Christian's life. God uses current opportunities to connect us future opportunities. Let's take a look on the life of |
David.


Before David became king of Israel, he was first assigned by his father Jesse to watch over a flock of sheep. He was almost forgotten when Samuel called Jesse's son and shepherding was the lowest kind of work done during their time. If you dont have anything to do with your life, be a shepherd. But David took his shepherding opportunity by heart. One time his sheep was attacked by a Lion, he went after it and killed the predator. He decided not to go home and tell his father how the lion massacred the sheep. He took his small beginnings by heart. He took his current opportunity seriously. One day, he went into the battle field, Israel against the Philistine army. The whole army were trembling in fear because of Goliath the fierciest soldier. Goliath wanted to have a one-on-one fight with Israel's best army and whoever wins gets to conquer the nation. The whole Israelite troops were trembling in fear. When David knew about it, he volunteered. He told King Saul, that's what He's been doing all along. David said,"i killed a lion, I killed a bear, I can kill a soldier."
It was just an extension of what he's doing everyday. He took advantage of his current opportunity to prepare himself for future opportunities. 


Having said this story, this word from apostle Paul in Colossians 3:23 holds a very, very huge truth about how we should view our small beginnings and our present circumstance.


I - OUR MOVE


²³ Whatever you do, 
This means, wherever you are, whatever your current status, whatever you employment status, what's your current oppurtnity whatever it is. Whether you are a student, employee, mother, father, boss, slave, doctor, nurse the list could go on...


work at it with all your heart, 


Wherever we are right now. Whatever our current circumstances Apostle paul encouraged us to engage it, to take it seriously and give our best shot. David when he was still a shepeherd gave his best shot in shepherding. The bible doesnt account how many years he went on overseeing the flock of sheep but those moments prepared him to Israel's national hero. Maybe we are in circumstances that's hard for us to engage with all our heart. Mismanaged organization, self-centered boss, a leader who's lack of initiative, complacent workers, living below poverty etc.. But when Paul wrote this he was addressing to people who were slave. This people dont even have the right to be heard or treated equally. But he encouraged them to work at their present opportunity with all their heart.


II - OUR MOTIVATION


as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 
He added, treat your current circumstance with all your as if it is given to you by God. As if it is God who gave you all what you have right now.because God moves through your present circumstance to connect you to future opportunities.


²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
because at the end of the day there is a reward, an eternal reward to your faithfulness. because the Lord is a rewarder of the faithful.


III - OUR MASTER


 It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
He concluded it that it is ultimately the Lord you are serving. As we Christians, we are under Christ's Lordship, as a matter of fact we believe because wherever you are, whatever you do Christ is your master and it will reflect to Christ how you live your life. 

BOTTOM LINE: ENGAGE FULLY, WITH ALL YOUR HEART YOUR CURRENT OPPORTUNITY AS IF ITS HE LORD WHO GAVE IT BECAUSE GOD WORKS THROUGH YOUR PRESENT OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT YOU TO FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES. (Andy Stanley)

I WANT TO BE GREAT: PART 1 - A NEW VIEW

We kicked off a brand new series last Sunday we call I WANT TO BE GREAT. In the heart of every person there is  desire to be great. As a matter of fact we imitate people in order to be great. 

When I was elementary and Highschool, I just want to be great at everything I see people are great of doing. When track and field became popular in the middle school, I also want to be the fastest runner. When basket ball became a phenomenon, I want to be MVP. Every end of the school year and graduation time, something in me rose up wanting the medal and  promising to be a better student the next school year.

 The TENSION: Being Great at SOMETHING doesn't necessarily make a person GREAT. Being great at fill in the blank _________ doesnt guarantee a person great.

So what really characterizes a great person? 

Jesus answered that question more than 2000 years ago. As a matter of fact it was His disciples' question.

Mark 9: 33-35  

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 

There was a tension among the disciples who's the greatest among them. They were arguing, fighting and edging each other on the quest for greatness.

³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Jesus confronted them, but they were hesitant to surface the question because its kinda self serving. But Jesus dint rebuke them for their desire to be great. But Jesus just want to define them what really is greatness. If you are asking how to be great Jesus drops the bomb in the next verse. 

 ³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,

This is one of the disciple's all time, ultimate question. Imagine the conversation around the group as Jesus answers the all time question every person must be asking. I presume they were so quiet and everyone's waiting for their name to be called.Jesus said, listen closely gang. (my emphasis)

 “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

The answer is so counter culture, I presume the disciples weren't excited about what they heard. As a matter of fact it was like a downer for them.This is not something all of them must be excited of doing of the next day.

But Jesus said, if you want to be great. Use whatever you have, your strengths, abilitites, skills,talent for the benefit of the other people in your circle, in your world. Jesus said, If you do that, YOU ARE GREAT!

take it from the expert. if there is one person whom we hail to be so great, that is Jesus! And Jesus says, take the cues from me. What makes Jesus great was when he leverage what He has for the benefit of all of us. He take everything He has, died on the cross, paid our sins, stripped of His being divine for our benefit.

God says, If you do that, You are great. When you leverage whatever you have for the benefit of other people you are great. You may not be great at SOMETHING. But you can still be great if we became the servant of all.

When we leverage what we have for the sake of the other people in our world. That's how Jesus defined greatness. That is A NEW VIEW about greatness in our self-oriented, self-centered world. Mark 10: 45 in all our conscious thought of all the things Jesus did this one made Him the greatest.

⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

You can be great!