The desire for greatness and excellence is God-given. It mirrors the truth that everything that God does is good- in fact, it is very good! God does complete work; He always finishes what He starts. God saves us completely. We are fully forgiven, there is not a hint of condemnation or guilt when we experience His great salvation. His love is unfailing and unchanging; it does not fluctuate based on our performance.  We truly have a very great God, His greatness is unsearchable.

Because we are made in the image of God, deep within us there is a knowing that we are meant to live in an excellent way that brings glory to our Heavenly Father. Even though our heart is tainted with sin in every way, we still have God-made desires stamped on our heart.

When the disciples wanted to be great Jesus didn’t condemn their question about how to be great, instead He explained what true greatness looks like: 

“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

Jesus’ definition of greatness is very different than the world’s definition of greatness. The most powerful people in the world tend to use their power for their own sake. In contrast, Jesus added humanity to His deity, was born in this world to live the perfect life we couldn’t so that one day He could give His life as a ransom for all those who would believe in His name. Jesus led by serving us and by giving up His life for our sake.

Jesus is our ultimate example of greatness.  Just as He came to serve, we should strive to serve the Lord and one another with all of our heart.  Jesus told the disciples that they didn’t know what they were asking for (verse 20) because the cross comes before the crown. True greatness does not come from power or position, it comes through sacrifice.

True greatness comes through serving in whatever position we are given. It is possible to do great things with the wrong motivation. Greatness involves having pure motivations while serving for the good of others and ultimately, for the glory of God.

By the power of Holy Spirit, may our lives mirror and point others to the indescribable greatness of Jesus. The more we serve to point others to the greatness of Jesus, the more we will grow to live in an excellent way.