David Murrow, the author of Why Men Hate Going to Church says this: "Most men will not fully invest themselves in anything that does not offer a shot at greatness"
Do men need to just "get over it" and stop looking for greatness because it's too self-centered and not God-centered and community-centered enough?
David Murrow points out two places in the Old Testament where God doesn't feel threatened that we might achieve some greatness. In Genesis, God said to Abraham "I will bless you and make your name great". In 2 Samuel, God told David, "Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth".
Additionally, in the New Testatment (2 Cor 4:17-18), Paul talks about how troubles in this life produce for us glory in eternity.
There's a lot more to explore about how men should seek greatness, but I find this idea refreshing: that the masculine desire for glory and greatness isn't threatening to God.
In the Bible God wants to make his children great because when that can happen, God is the one whose name becomes greater. Ephesians talks about how God's purpose in working through us in our world was to "show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms." In other words, it is to help the angels and demons understand how amazing and good and wise God really is. Our glory and greatness makes God's glory and greatness that much greater.
I'm leaving a lot unsaid here, but that's OK. We have time. :-)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I agree unless greatness means a sense of greatness felt by others towards you. We are to pray in private, we are to give anonymously. The least are first and the first shall be least. We will be hated because they hated HIM first. Will a man seeking greatness end up seeking greatness from the world?
Super good point, Tony. I'm getting there.
Post a Comment