My Life As A Peanut!

There is a quest for greatness in our culture. It seems evident through our celebrity obsession - the barrage of reality television shows, the Hollywood stars and sports athletes – everybody wants to be known for something. This is so regularly evident to me during all the pro athlete or Hollywood “sideshow spectacles”. I often think to myself; “Who really cares...?” “Is this going to make any eternal, significant difference?” Former Beatle, John Lennon went so far as to say; “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity.” Wow! What a bold and arrogant statement! But, at the rate that followers of Jesus Christ, and the churches they represent, seem to be losing their passion, influence, and credibility in our culture – I might almost tend to agree with Lennon (almost, but I don’t). It seems as though even followers of Jesus are more consumed with their popularity, likeability and possessions, more than they are concerned for the lost around them. Let my life be represented in the words of the song, Famous One, by David Crowder:

You are the Lord The famous one Great is Your name in all the earth The heavens declare You're glorious Great is Your fame beyond the earth

(I love this song! I am humming and singing even now…be glad you can't hear it.) For us to live as “authentic disciples” of Jesus Christ, means that we are willing to set aside our personal goals and ambitions, and strive to fulfill the plan and purpose that God has built in to each of us – that is to bring honor and glory to Him! In Mark 10, Jesus teaches us the characteristics of true greatness and how to alter our lives to be more Christ-like. George Washington Carver, the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from the peanut was quoted as saying: “When I was young, I said to God, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered, ‘That knowledge is reserved for me alone.’ So I said, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then God said, ‘Well, George, that’s more nearly your size.’ And he told me.” I guess it is all a matter of perspective. So here is the question we need to ask ourselves. Do I want to be known for my accomplishments, position or prestige – more than I desire to make Jesus known through my life and actions?