God’s Definition of Great
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A lot of Christians are walking around worried and disheartened these days, but truthfully, that isn’t a great witness for our Lord! I do believe we are living in an era that most closely resembles the time of the prophets in Scripture. I have been that worried and disheartened Christian, but I don’t want to be. I’ve been working to fix that problem in my own life and thought I would share my journey with my readers.
God never stops revealing his pleasure and his displeasure to the world. He wants us to know him, obey him, and be blessed by him. So, Christians need to remember that our joy, happiness, and security are found in him alone. The world has always been the world, and the prince of this world has always been opposed to the ways of God. That won’t change until Jesus returns. But, Christians don’t serve the prince of this world; we serve our King. Christians can be faithful residents of a country, but our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Our God is still firmly and forever on his throne and nothing will ever change his eternal position of power and authority.
A friend sent me an interesting article entitled, What if God doesn’t want to make America great again? The premise: What if God plans to make America great—for the first time?
How does God define “great?”
— A great nation: Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! Our nation is the body of believers who have placed their faith in Christ and chosen him to be our Lord. The universal body of Christ is God’s nation.
— A great focus: Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. If we are worried or disheartened we need to change the focus of our thoughts. That focus will be reflected on our faces and in our attitudes. What can we “praise?” Let’s think about that for awhile!
— A great ministry: Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Is there something you are holding onto that God wants you to give? What can you do today that will please God? Whatever that is, consider it your ministry and your privilege to accomplish.
— A great witness: Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Listen to yourself. Are your conversations drawing people to God, or pushing them away? The Lord is our rock and our redeemer. Let’s allow our words to flow from our confidence, rather than our concerns.
— A great prayer: Colossians 1:9–10 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Paul wrote the letter of Colossians to an infant church that stood alone in a culture of anti-God beliefs. He prayed that those early Christians would be filled with knowledge and understanding of God’s perfect will. That wisdom would enable them to walk in a manner worthy of God. We need to pray Paul’s prayer for the Christian population of America.
Pleasing God is the best definition of greatness in Scripture. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The history of our nation includes slavery, wars, corruption, division, plagues, depression, recession, and oppression. Our nation’s history also includes hope for immigrants, help for the helpless, prosperity, and opportunity for those who reach for it and work to achieve it. According to God’s standards, America has had moments of greatness—but we have never been completely or fully great.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Christians know how to make America great. How does God want you to serve?
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