"But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 23:11-12
This is an interesting idea that we don't often see in society... the idea that the greatest people should serve others, or perhaps that serving others is a large part of what *makes* a person great.
The second part follows this idea in saying that if we promote ourselves and work on being famous, or better, or higher, that we will be brought low, but that if we are humble that we will be lifted up. I think it is a hard idea to get our minds around if we are looking at our society, but easier if we are looking at the gospel. God's first commandment is to love God, and his second is to love others. Those are the most important things... not fame or power or self-promotion.
This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t set goals in life or try to improve ourselves. That’s a good thing too. Just a warning about relative importance I think. God’s idea of greatness and society’s idea of greatness are very different, and we have to choose which one we want to work for. In the end we will be much happier if we focus on service rather than competition.
Today, let’s think about our focus in life, and make sure ours is on God and helping and lifting others, and how our personal goals fit into God’s higher plan.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 23:11-12
This is an interesting idea that we don't often see in society... the idea that the greatest people should serve others, or perhaps that serving others is a large part of what *makes* a person great.
The second part follows this idea in saying that if we promote ourselves and work on being famous, or better, or higher, that we will be brought low, but that if we are humble that we will be lifted up. I think it is a hard idea to get our minds around if we are looking at our society, but easier if we are looking at the gospel. God's first commandment is to love God, and his second is to love others. Those are the most important things... not fame or power or self-promotion.
This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t set goals in life or try to improve ourselves. That’s a good thing too. Just a warning about relative importance I think. God’s idea of greatness and society’s idea of greatness are very different, and we have to choose which one we want to work for. In the end we will be much happier if we focus on service rather than competition.
Today, let’s think about our focus in life, and make sure ours is on God and helping and lifting others, and how our personal goals fit into God’s higher plan.
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