Many years ago, I went on a ministry trip to a neighbouring country. I was to speak at a youth meeting on the third evening and really struggled with what to say to the young people. Interestingly, I had a dream the night before that. I was in a school assembly full of students. A speaker was expounding on ‘The Seed of Greatness’. I only heard the title and woke up.
I pondered about it, prayed, researched a little, and managed to craft a message just in time for the meeting. I wished I had heard the rest of the message, but the revelation contained in the title was powerful enough.
Ephesians 2:10 says, ‘We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.’ Inherently, people desire to make an impact with their lives because we’re created with the seed of greatness in us. We want the meaning of our lives to be more than just a few sentences engraved on a tombstone.
We see this desire for greatness clearly in children yet to be tainted by the pragmatism taught by the world. In their role-playing games, they desire to be some superhero who saves the world from evil or be in a profession that helps others.
We’ve an innate drive within us that seeks to undertake some superhuman feat so others can be impacted. God created in us a longing to make a significant contribution to the world.
For ages, the enemy has used our desire for greatness to accuse us. “You just want to be seen by man; you’re building your own kingdom; you desire a name for yourself.” There might be a measure of truth and we do struggle with these to a certain extent. As a result, we feel conflicted about the dreams in our hearts.
Sometimes, we even bury them for fear of being misunderstood and misjudged. The religious spirit tells us that, to avoid stirring up jealousy, envy and competition in others, we must not even attempt to be outstanding.
We then adopt a false humility and the result is what’s known as ‘The Tall Poppy Syndrome’ – a culture in which anyone who accomplishes greatness or grows above the crowd is cut down by the masses. We learn to self-deprecate and the greatness within us lies ever dormant.
However, the seed of greatness is not to be confused with selfish ambition or pride. It’s an expression of being created in the image and likeness of God. The fact is that we’re created to be great, but will only have eternal significance as we walk in obedience to God’s will for our lives.
As we pursue God, we make an impact on earth and receive eternal rewards in the age to come. True humility is when we understand that we’re created in God to be great and our greatness is only attainable in Him – not in ourselves.
Our role in the global spiritual conflict is small but significant. We’re not an afterthought nor postscript. God is not looking down on us as if we were pawns on a chessboard, wondering what to do next.
He’s looking for those who want to make a great impact, those who are willing to partner Him on a scale exceeding just pursuing our personal goals or having a regular job. The Lord has great plans for real people like you and me.
Jesus launched His global missions movement by telling His unimpressive and uneducated disciples, that they’ll be fishers of men and disciple nations.
The seed of greatness within us produces the God-given desire to make a difference in the lives of others. As we get to know people better, the Lord begins to reveal His heart for them and we start to think, ‘How can I bless his or her life?’
Once we receive God’s love, we want to give it away.
While it’s wonderful to taste God’s goodness, we don’t want to experience it alone. As we grow in the Lord, we find ourselves increasingly unwilling to live lives in our own bubbles but make an impact beyond ourselves.
Even in our daily lives, when we’ve good news, we can’t wait to tell those around us. We love to talk to others about what blesses us. We’re driven to share every revelation that we receive from the Word of God.
After reading a book that helps us in our marriage, we immediately buy a copy to give to our friends. When we gain a ministry insight, we’re excited to share with other leaders. We’re wired to share with others that which touches us and brings great joy. We’re created this way by the God who loves and longs to bless us!
Without a sense that we’re impacting others, we lose a sense of purpose. While small talk is part of everyday life, we want to say and impart something meaningful. It’s a part of the seed of greatness planted deep within us by our Maker.
The Lord knows that for which we were created. He wrote the script for the global story that requires people to do great things and then planted those seeds within us. Greatness is attainable by those who love God with their whole hearts.
