Based on Deuteronomy 6 (New King James Version)
“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ‘And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. ‘So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken. ‘When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’”
Billy Graham once said, “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” I think every human being would like to be either known as a great person, or would like to leave a legacy of greatness. And of course, the concept of greatness is that blessings and good things are associated with that; that the result of greatness brings great things. Ultimately, the idea is that if you are great than great things will happen to you and around you. So, how do we achieve that? How can a person become a great person? Well, you are in luck!
The first step to greatness is being able to appreciate true greatness. What is true greatness? God! If you profess to believe in God, then you really need to understand what He has done for you, and what He is still doing for you. But what is critical is to truly make a decision to believe in Him. It does not work if you believe in God as something lessor than what He really is. At the same time, you can’t choose to believe in God at one moment, and believe more in something else at a different moment. You need (for your own sake) to make a decision to either really believe in God; or not believe in God; but mediocre faith needs to stop. So, if you truly believe in the God of the Bible, then you know (not just think so) that He created the heavens and the earth. He created every single thing in the universe. He created mankind in His likeness and image. He gave each of us life. We are now, at this very second; living, breathing, seeing, reading, and thinking because He has allowed it. We get up in the morning to go to work or to school, or to do whatever it is we do, because He allows it. I can see and experience a beautiful sunny day right now because He allows it. We have food, clothes, and shelter because He has somehow provided for it. Even as you read this, you have a computer or smartphone, internet access, electricity, etc. to be able to read this message. And because of God, you have the opportunity to live eternally through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to whom be all the glory and the praise forever and ever. Acknowledging and looking for your Creator is the first step to greatness. You will never be great unless you know how to appreciate and respect true greatness; the greatness of God.
The second step to greatness is making the greatest person who you owe everything to (God) the Owner (the Lord) of your life. Without loving and belonging to the greatest being known to mankind, you cannot even come close to achieving any real kind of greatness. After all, do you want true greatness, or something that “seems” great? Money, power, and fame on this planet only lasts for so long. And then you die, and it all goes away, or it goes into the hands of someone else (someone you probably didn’t want to give it to). True greatness lasts for all the ages and into eternity. It is immovable, unshakeable, and can never be taken away.
The third step is following God, not just believing. You need to learn and apply God’s principles (His Word) to your life. The natural consequences of applying God’s Word to your life is greatness. You learn how to love and respect God. You learn how to love and respect other people, starting with your loved ones. Everything that you do will turn out just fine. God honors those that honor Him. That’s how Moses was able to bring Israel out of Egypt. That’s how King David won his battles. That’s how the apostles reached the world, until now. That’s how the United States was born. That’s how a humble farm boy from North Carolina like Billy Graham was able to reach millions upon millions of people for decades all around the world, and sit with presidents and prime ministers. That’s how President Reagan was able to bring the US’ most feared enemy into friendship (USSR). That’s how a man born without arms and legs like Nick Vujicic is able to also do incredible things, and touch millions of people around the world. You want true greatness? Love and follow Christ always! Lord bless! John