Skip to main content

THE SIMPLE PRINCIPLE OF GREATNESS


I grew up with the desire to be great especially after i came became born again. Whenever i see individuals on the platform of greatness, it ignited more fire on that desire. And just like me, I strongly believe you desire to live a great life; a life of destiny. 

One natural craving/desire of any human being is SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT; to engage in something worthwhile, to be known for a cause. Let me rephrase that; TO SERVE A CAUSE. Now, this is where I'm driving home my point... SERVICE.

You want to become great, right?

Wait a minute! Before we discuss that,

Let's look at what greatness means.

Greatness refers to the quality of being exceptional, outstanding or remarkable in someway through character, achievements/accomplishment, leadership(inspiring and influencing others), and resilience/perseverance. 

According to the definition, greatness is first a quality, which means that not everyone will attain it. This is a sad but true fact. Not everyone will be outstanding, exceptional or remarkable in life.

Why?

Because it comes through character modification, accomplishments of feats in any life's sector, inspiring and influencing people, diligence, consistency and perseverance. It truly requires conscious effort and work.

But having stated these qualities as prerequisites for greatness attainment, a crucial ingredient is missing out. I've rather noticed that this missing ingredient isn't well elaborated in gatherings and conversations revolving greatness.

I can't deny the fact that those qualities are all needed in this journey but this ingredient shouldn't be poorly treated as it is.

To see how important this simple principle is, Jesus Christ Himself taught His disciples about it.

See this:
42 "Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 
44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 
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.” (Mark 10:42-45).

Jesus had to clear off the wrong mindset of leadership and greatness as His disciples thought. Jesus was trying to say in verse 42 that greatness isn't about 'lording' or 'exercising authority' over others as the Gentiles see it(the Gentiles is a typology of the world).

Rather, you as a child of God who lives in and under a different system (of God's kingdom) should bring himself/herself to SERVE. "...Must first be a slave of all" according to Jesus. And He used Himself as an example.

A slave in this context is not about letting people treat you as they'd treat a slave or allow people use you. It's about giving your life for serving God's purposes and improving/contributing positively in people's lives. 

Service however, is that necessary ingredient we must never let out on this journey of greatness. Service demands your time, resources, mind, consciousness...literally everything for the promotion of the cause you're set out to serve.

This calls for selflessness and humility. 

You have to build these two qualities if you must give yourself to service.

Service must'nt be just in the church setting or volunteering yourself for social acitivities. It cuts across every area of your life you desire to be OUTSTANDING, REMARKABLE AND EXCEPTIONAL.

In the business sector, you have to humble yourself well enough to learn and possibly be of benefit to those ahead of you in other to succeed. No human likes a prideful and self conceited person-even they themselves. Hence, you must exhibit teachability and lowliness to shine, not the other way round.

Like I said, it cuts across all sectors of life; in academics, business, ministry, etc.

In addition, using your expertise (your skills & talents, profession & career, business establishments, educational prowess, ministerial abilities, etc) to serve God and humanity is ultimate.

Jesus came to the earth not to be served but to serve the purpose of His Father and humanity. (Mark 10:45). Also see Philippians 2:4-8.

And what did bible say that His service resulted to?

To be EXALTED and given a NAME that's above ALL names. (Philippians 2:9)
To be sitted at the right hand side of God and given ALL Authority. (Matthew 28:18) and many more.

That was the reward of His selfless service. The greatness you seek is in your service to God & His purposes and positively contributing to humanity.

Besides, relevance and significance comes from servicing or impacting a generation with either a product, innovation, skill, intellect & wisdom or talents. The blessing comes in you being a blessing. That's how it works.

So, while you apply other principles in your pursuit to greatness, ensure this SIMPLE PRINCIPLE is highly practiced to scale greater heights.

I pray the Holy Spirit helps you through this journey.

If you haven't surrendered yourself to the Lordship of Christ, you can't harness all there is to YOU as intended by God for your life. Accepting Him is the beginning of true greatness. Accept Him today and watch how He'll make a miracle out of you.

God bless you real good.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MY DEADLY FRIEND

I had this friend I never knew was a foe till I understood its deadly traits.   The worst part?? I feed it myself unknowingly. Imagine feeding what kills you slowly. No, it's not an external being or thing but comes from within.  And no, it's not personal to me but a generic problem amongst millions of people out there. Comparison! Yes, comparison! It shows itself through three different forms :  Emotions , c ommunication   and   Identity . You would agree with me that these forms can also be components that constitute friendship. This is to elaborate how comparison poses as a friend while stating its significant harm. THE EMOTIONS INVOLVED  Some people think of comparison as a tool for growth. I mean, if other people's success and progress can keep you awake and thinking all the time, then you would want to do better. That's what you think, right?  Comparison would surely give you a lot of motivational lines like: "If my friend can do this, i can do i...

WHEN PURPOSE DOESN'T LOOK POPULAR

One of the basic need of humans is to be seen. The need to be wanted, accepted and approved by others. And in our world today, where visibility and popularity often connotes value, walking in the light of purpose can feel lonely and somewhat insignificant. It seems like everyone is moving faster, shining brighter, and getting noticed.  On the other hand, you who seek to live in obedience to God's instruction per time  don't draw attention. Your purpose looks slow, hidden, or even strange to others. What happens then? The truth is, God’s purpose for your life won’t always look popular. Sometimes, He calls you to build when no one else understands what you’re building. He calls you to walk a path that doesn’t make sense to the crowd. That's not really comforting, right? But understand that there's a difference between living for purpose and living for popularity. Purpose is about fulfilling God’s assignment for your life. It’s about obedience, faith, and surrender. Wheth...

HOW TO BUILD CONFIDENCE WITHOUT LOSING HUMILITY

You know, I truly love the virtue called humility and sincerely admire humble people. But you see folks that are extremely humble yet unapologetically confident — this, I can never resist. I could't help but wonder how they strike the balance until recently. You can see humility yet confidence is an aura they exude. I had to research on it and I discovered the "how-to" behind this amazing twist which I'll be unfolding here.  First off, let's understand this: T here is a thin line between confidence and pride. It takes some level of mastery to avoid breaking that line.  Have you ever tried to be confident but felt like you were being “too much”? Maybe you spoke up during a meeting, posted your small win online, or walked into a room with your head held high, then immediately wondered if you came off as proud. It’s something many struggle with: wanting to believe in themselves without seeming arrogant. Society often makes it worse by mixing up humility with self-dou...

MY LITTLE THOUGHTS!!!

I read something that kept me in thoughts for some time now and I saw a new light in it. "Therefore i say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat and what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on..." (Matthew 6:25) These are the questions i asked myself after reading it: • "Is the above scripture saying i should not bother about my life or ensure i make something out of my life?" • "Does it mean i should just allow life happen to me and accept whatever it brings to my table (my life)"? I thought it that way because that verse is literally saying,  "you know what, just relax. God got you. You don't have to work or stress yourself. He'll take care of you as He does to the birds of the air and lilies of the field. (Vs 26 & 28)." But same Bible says we should work. The word of God critically downplays laziness and idleness. "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: T...

SHUT THAT WINDOW

There are reasons the windows of your house is meant to be shut, even if not completely. There should be limited access into the house. It helps prevent unwanted things from creeping into the house. In as much as the window was created to allow the reflection of the brightness of the day into the house and for ventilation, it must be closed to an extent, to avoid insects and unwanted substances intruding the house. In this context however, the windows that needs to be shut are the windows that leads to your heart. Your heart (physically and spiritually) are as important as the air you breathe, because the heart is the seat of core activities that keeps you alive and also moulds your life. Physically, your heart is the muscle at the centre of your circulation system. It pumps blood around your body as your heart beats. This blood sends oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body, and carries away unwanted carbon dioxide and waste products. Literally speaking, you can'...

KEPT AWAY FROM GOD, YET UNNOTICED

If the devil wants to pull you away from God, he wouldn't need to show up with horns and fire neither would he come to you with outright denial. No, that's too obvious.  He’d be subtle, clever, and quiet. He’d use everyday life. He’d twist the good into distractions, and sin into freedom. He wouldn’t scare you — he’d SOOTHE YOU into separation from God in a way that seems harmless on the outside but destroying you from inside out. And you know what subtle individuals do: they cook up a well planned scheme, waits for your weakest moments and strike! We have to be conscious of the devil's devices and how he'll use it to slowly but effectively take us away from God. (2 Corinthians 2:11) 1. Comfort Over Conviction You are kept satisfied and comfortable so that you think you don't need God.  You get the job, the contract deals, the house, the relationship — life feels stable. Suddenly, prayer becomes optional. Church becomes your rarest go-to. You’re not against God, qui...

THE CONTROVERSY OF CHRISTIAN-SINNER RELATIONSHIP

There's something I've noticed amongst some christians that Jesus Himself isn't happy about. And to these christians, what they're doing is the right thing and it's pleasing Jesus but actually, the reverse is the case. I've seen and heard of people who disdain sinners by staying away from them and making them feel they can never be accepted and shouldn't be around the christians 'clique' because the sinners are 'bad' and we as christians are the 'good ones'.  This was exactly what the pharisees did. They were so law driven that they couldn't stand the 'breakers of the law'. They ensured that any sin associated with punishment would be carried out on the sinner involved. That was why they were both surprised and angry at Jesus whenever He tells someone, "Go, your sins are forgiven". Jesus on the other hand was never like that even as God Himself! He didn't just avoid making the sinners feel they ca...