Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer, used to cry out, “I am the greatest!” In a sense, that’s what we all desire; it’s our natural tendency to want to be the greatest. I remember riding my mountain bike down the road with my wife next to me, and I began to show off. Why? Because I wanted my wife to think I was the greatest, of course. You might ask, “Why were you doing that? You already sealed the deal; she said yes, you’re already married.” That’s true, but I wanted to see that sparkle in her eye, the look that said, “That’s my man. He is the greatest.”
So, I decided to do a front wheel wheelie. I’ve done it before, and I positioned myself, hit the brakes, and the bike lifted up. It felt right, but then the bike kept coming up and up until I rolled right onto the ground. The look from my wife was not one of admiration; it wasn’t that sparkle, but rather a puzzled expression—“What are you doing? That was stupid! Who are you trying to impress?” Needless to say, I embarrassed myself.
The truth is, we all desire to be important in the eyes of others—our spouses, our children, our families, our friends. We all want to impress others, but we need to take it further.
In Matthew 18, the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus grabbed a child and placed him in the middle of the disciples. A child—unskilled, helpless, but completely dependent.
In God’s economy, it is not about what we do or what we bring to the table; it is our complete dependence, like that of a child, which makes us great in His eyes. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
It becomes less about what we can do and more about what Christ has done through us.
Let’s show off Christ in our lives. Show off Jesus today!
No where in scripture does it refer to us as “adults of God”. We are the children, sons, daughters, heirs and the offspring of God.
I think it’s a reminder that we must recognize our Father with the power and authority He has. Children are to respect, obey, listen, trust, and follow the examples God set for us.
If we live as a child of God, people can see His son shine through us.
I have a similar story to the one Nick told, only I was in middle school and trying to impress a crowd of about 30 of my friends with my skateboarding skills. I tried to do a rail slide on the handrail going down the stairs at the middle school courtyard. As I got about halfway down, the board slipped out from under me and I racked myself. As I fell to the ground in agonizing pain, I looked up to see two of my ex-girlfriend‘s high five each other. I surely deserved this pain and embarrassment and I can understand why my ex-girlfriend’s were so happy that it happened to me. I was far from a servant of man back then. I am grateful that God has chosen me to follow him, and that he is slowly changing me into a person that people would not rejoice at seeing in pain. But it is still a struggle to deny the desire to be great and to prioritize others. I need His guidance daily in order to be successful in this.
“Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.”
1 Peter 2:18-19 ESV
Everyone to some degree wants to be valued and respected by their loved ones and those around them. This desire for approval and recognition is not from God. The desire to be seen as important might lead to trying to be someone we’re not. The call to “take it further” means being true to ourselves and God’s plan for us. Instead of focusing on impressions we could strive to make a positive impact on the lives of others through Christ. Show His actions and His character. His love and not to forget to adopt a humbling and trusting heart like that of a child.