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September 6, 2009 Sunday - AM |
By Dan Spencer |
What does it take to achieve greatness? You knwo the answer: you have to aim high; set your sites on being the best; be a winner; climb your way to the top; rise above the crowd; and ascend to greatness. From the world's perspective, UP is the only direction to go. Just as a compass needle points north, the human needle points up. There is a built-in mechanism within you and me that craves self-promotion, advancement, and being on top. That is the direction of greatness, right? That's what the world says.
Compared to that, the message of Jesus in Matthew chapters 19-20 may be the most counter-culture passage in the Bible. Jesus says that if you want to be truly great, then the direction you must go is down. You must descend into greatness. And at the heart of that paradox is the opposite of self-advancement - it's self-abandonment: the more you lose, the more you gain.
© First Baptist Church
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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By Dan Spencer. © First Baptist Church. Website: www.firstbaptistonline.com
