“You are called to greatness. But greatness looks different than you think. If you really want to be great, here’s how you do it: become the least.”- Banning Liebscher
” . . . whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His live as a ransom for many.”- Matthew 20:26-28 (NKJV)
In Chapter 9 (“An Unlikely Marriage”) of Rooted, Banning Liebscher stresses that since we are in Christ, we share His identity and position. Therefore, we must apply this knowledge and carry ourselves as Jesus does. Also, the following two revelations must continually grow together in our lives:
- who Christ is
- who we are in Him
Furthermore, Pastor Liebscher states, Jesus forever married the concepts of greatness with humility, leadership with love, and royalty with service. As a result, these three upside-down concepts reveal who Jesus is as well as who we are in Him. In addition, Banning exhorts:
“As we step into the revelation of who we are in Him, we must cling to His example and never resort to the world’s version of greatness, leadership, and royalty, which turn humility into pride, authority into domination, and love into self-serving.”
In conclusion, Pastor Banning notes, Jesus demonstrated what it means to lay down one’s life in two ways: (a) His death on the Cross and (b) daily sacrificial service. Not only did Jesus serve everybody, but He served them in ways that truly revealed His love for them. Consequently, Banning advocates:
“Love looks like serving. If we want to abide in Jesus’ love, we must embrace His lifestyle of serving people.”
Today’s question: How do you define greatness your life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “It’s not all about you — it’s all about Jesus”
