Where Do You Want to Be Great?

I believe that God has deposited within every individual an innate desire to be great. Sometimes certain environmental conditions can preclude people from realizing their full Divine potential, but nevertheless, the seed of greatness is within them. I believe this because I am convinced that God has endowed every human being with certain gifts that were designed to be used to His Glory before the foundation of the world was laid. The challenge, however, is to whose glory are these gifts going to be used? And that question can be addressed by asking, "Where do you want to be great?"

God has no problem with us striving for greatness. As I mentioned earlier, God put greatness within every one of us. But things get distorted when that greatness is not used to the Glory of God. So, when the question is raised, "where do you want to be great?" the choices are earth or heaven. People I don't think, fully yet realize that Heaven is a true, geographical location. Just like the planets Mars and Pluto and Saturn are real, heaven is real. The catch is heaven is an eternal place, the Earth (at least in its present form) is temporal. So do you want earthly greatness or heavenly greatness?

The greatness of this world is fleeting and temporal. It doesn't last. People spend, literally, a lifetime trying to be great and trying to be successful; only to see it end within the span of a century (which is nothing compared to eternity). When reaching for earthly greatness, the objective is to be applauded by men. The reason we know this is the case is because the greatness of the earth is defined by men. So in order to achieve it, you have to fit into the design and values of the men who have defined it. This is not of God. Earthly greatness revolves around self-centeredness and self-promotion. These too, are not of God. Yes, there may be momentary pleasures and scintillating thrills; but once again, it doesn't last.
But the Greatness of Heaven is Eternal. It is not defined by man, it is defined by God. 

God determines who's great in heaven. And what people don't understand, including in the church, is that if you achieve heavenly greatness, that greatness will be manifested in the earth realm. Jesus defined the greatness of Heaven by stating that he who is the greatest among you is the servant of all (Matthew 23). If you notice, even in the church, those who have the highest positions are expected to receive the greatest deference or service. This is not the culture of the Kingdom and the greatness of heaven. That's why Jesus made it clear when He said that He didn't come to earth to be served but to serve (Mark 10). What would it be like if instead of getting the highest salary at the church the pastor received the lowest? What would it be like if instead of the ministers at the head table we were in the back of the banquet hall? I'm not making suggestions, I'm describing how some of the protocol that we've established in the church runs counter to the spirit of greatness that has been established in heaven.

Saints, as we prepare for this next move of God, all of us, we have to get off our high horses and pull out the water and basin (John 13). It's time for us to put on the mantle of humility. It's time for us to aspire to the greatness of heaven and become the servant of all.