Kingdom Greatness

Chapter 12
Kingdom Greatness
I am in many meetings with great men and women of faith who have incredible stories. I get so inspired but at the same time I feel restless, impatient because I want to see the same. I live in a place of holy frustration. I desire to see more of God's kingdom advance. I want the people around me therefore to be obedient to God. I wish I could force people into following God. It is an okay place to be though because it is what drives me each day to do what I do. I just must remember that I can only do what God graces me to do and I have to trust the rest into His hands. My life is to pour into others what God has given me helping them be the great ones like those recorded in the bible. To be like a coach helping each player God assigns to me reach their fullest potential. It takes time to get others to believe in themselves and to trust in others. I know if I am just faithful over the little God has put before me He will increase and bring the greater.

What makes age fulfilling is stories that are gained that inspire greatness in those that are younger. When it helps them reach further than I have even gone I am overwhelmed with joy. God laid on my heart to name my first son Elisha which means the double portion of the anointing because what I am learning in my age I am able to pass down to his age and therefore he will be able to advance way beyond where I have gone.

Hebrews 11:32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Greatness does not come without a price. When I chose to live for God and He began to use me, people began to oppose me. Christians who had grown up in the church and were walking in disobedience were jealous that I was doing what they were supposed to be doing. My non-Christian friends who because of their sinful behavior felt I thought I was better than them responded aggressively, trying to convince me to compromise my righteous standard. Righteousness brings conviction, for sin and lies are exposed. People don't like to face reality, they don't like to feel wrong for what they do. They will convince themselves with whatever lie will keep them from believing the truth. All those in Christ will suffer persecution.

A good reputation follows those who through time remain consistent in their walk. Even though many of those who have opposed me have not really changed many have a different perspective and now show me respect. See many are those that start off well but end poorly. They do great things for God for a time but fall back into their old ways over time. The world is looking for justification for their sins and many are those who give it. Those who remain in Christ though will eventually baffle the minds of those who are observing them, and make it hard for them to resist the reality of truth they are witnessing. True Greatness cannot come in a moment but it is seen in a lifetime of decisions based on faith relying on God for one's own strength. Our response to persecution for the right we have done, compared to the world's response to prosecution for the wrong they have done is what sets us apart. When we don't retaliate but continue to love those who despise us the power of God is clearly made evident to the world. For we have an eternal perspective our temporary challenges don't move us because we have a hope that goes beyond this lifetime. So we see all things no matter how hard they are working out for our good in the end.

The biggest obstacle in experiencing God's greatness is our goodness, meaning settling for what we can do that is good and not going after what only God can do which is great. Most people settle once others around them are satisfied with what they have produced. God is never seen in what we can achieve, He is seen in only what He can do. Our God given mission is always above what we can reach. God makes the impossible possible, but He needs those who believe to manifest His greatness. There are no impossibilities to those who believe. Our ability to believe God will determine how great He becomes in our life. What we can receive from God is limited to our lack of faith. If we believe all things are possible then we have unlimited resources of supply.

Challenge: Let's repent for our lack of faith, for settling for good and not going after great. For setting our goals to our own possibilities instead of setting them under God's inspired impossibilities. As our faith now increases let's begin stepping out allowing God's greatness to be made evident as we now get added to the Great Hall of Faith.