Musings of Edwina: Spiritual Greatness, Guest Post by Zeke :Lam

I'm pleased to have as my guest again today, Zeke Lam. He writes about "spiritual greatness" and compares it to what the world considers greatness.

Spiritual Greatness

A typical discussion concerning the word “greatness” will tend to revolve around one concept: earthly success. If one attains significant material wealth, elite athletic status, or maybe even popularity in social media, then no matter how he/she arrive there, they may be considered great. The discussion we are about to embark on is not designed to bash the concept of greatness from an earthly perspective. There is certainly nothing wrong with success, but the point to consider is simply this. Worldly greatness is always relative, therefore rendering it debatable. Spiritual greatness is divine, therefore making it irrevocable.

Let me explain with this illustration. The 2011 World Series champions walked off the field carrying the title of “greatness”. The runner-ups did not and carried the title of “loser”. However, from the perspective of a college athlete even the runner-ups would be considered great. Why? Those “runner-ups” are playing at a level that he only gets to lay in bed and dream about.

Consider the same World Series illustration. The champions that year were heroes right? Yes, to baseball fans and followers of the game. Many people around the globe consider it a shame to tie the word greatness to a group of men who are good at hitting a round ball with wood stick.

As you can see, from an earthly perspective, greatness is always relative and debatable. In Christ, our identity is not subject to debate. If we submit to His voice and obey His Word, we position ourselves for spiritual greatness. A greatness that accompanied by the approval and love of God will spark national revival. This status however is not attained by certain accomplishments or achievements. It is acquired by operating daily in a manner that submits ALL your authority to Jesus Christ and follows His voice.

Read Luke 7:6-10 for a great illustration of this topic:

Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; ⁷ for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” ⁹ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” ¹⁰ When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

To have Jesus say of your faith that it is the “greatest” He has seen in all Israel is a monumental statement. What did the centurion do to merit such a comment? Was he a marvelous commander? Was he a popular leader? Perhaps, but these reasons had nothing to do with this lesson on spiritual greatness. It revolved around the fact that this man of authority had to relinquish his power so that the authority of Jesus could do the miraculous and bring healing to his friend. Despite his ability to give orders, the centurion was faced with a situation beyond his capability. As he submitted to the authority and power of Christ in this situation, he positioned himself for spiritual greatness. He witnessed and was a part of something that went beyond the scope of human possibility.

If you and I desire to witness and accomplish things that go beyond the possibilities of man, we must submit EVERY area of our lives to Christ. Whether this is on a baseball field, or the mission field, this level of submission will position you for the spiritual greatness!

Zeke's Bio:

I am 27 years old and have been married to my beautiful wife, Kathleen, for 6 years. We have three children (4, 2, and 2 months) that we love very much. I have ministered since the age of 18 as a youth minister and evangelist. In addition to this, I operate a small business which constructs ornamental concrete such as flower pots, bird baths, etc. I also help out with the family furniture when time permits. We are passionate to see Christ glorified through our lives, and constantly remain seek to use our lives to share the Gospel. This has led our family all over the world. Our most recent “adventure” involved us literally driving to a town in Texas, renting an apartment, and seeking the Lord. Although we knew nobody or anything about the place, God gave us an entire church fellowship in 2 days! This turned into an incredible 7 month stay that is surely not finished yet.

To learn more about Zeke and his ministry, visit his website at http://submisssionministries.org
To purchase subMISSION: Heeding Only His Voice:
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=SUBMISSION+Zeke+Lam&x=13&y=20
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To learn more about Zeke and his ministry, visit his website at http://submisssionministries.org