A Life of Greatness

Are we called to a life of greatness? What made King David or Moses great in God’s eyes? Can we be like them? How great can the life of a Christian be?

While reading a recent teen blog, a phrase stuck out: “We are called to a life of greatness.”

Are we called to a life of greatness? Sometimes, teens have difficulty seeing greatness in the Christian way of life. When we think of the great men and women, we often think of the mighty people of history who led great numbers of people and did dramatic things to impact lives. Yes, God’s way of life is important, but “great” may not always be the way we would describe it.

Then again, that could depend on your definition of greatness!

A great king?

We have all heard of King David and his great accomplishments. David’s feats were legendary (both positively and negatively)—from the slaying of Goliath to the murder of Uriah the Hittite.

We often forget who David was before he killed Goliath. Before he gained fame as a warrior, David was a shepherd. When Samuel visited his house looking for a future king, David was the last one called forward. His own family, the ones who would have known him best, didn’t even consider him as a possible candidate to be the man Samuel was looking for (1 Samuel 16:10-11).

But God saw something beyond the teenage shepherd. While David’s family would have known him better than most, God showed that He knew better than any human. “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

David may have seemed to be just an unimpressive shepherd, but God saw the potential inside him to lead. David’s character, work ethic and zeal were traits that, when developed, would make him a successful king. Even though David made mistakes at times in his life, he is still described as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).

Our lives now

God considered David to be great long before he killed Goliath or became king of Israel. As Samuel recorded, God looks a lot deeper than that. God looks directly at the heart of an individual.

God also shows this when speaking of the special relationship He had with Moses. When explaining why He spoke directly with Moses instead of speaking through dreams and visions, God said, “He is faithful in all My house” (Numbers 12:7). Moses was also called the most humble man on the earth (Numbers 12:3). God was not impressed with Moses’ military exploits in Egypt, his courage against the pharaoh or his leadership in the wilderness. What made Moses great in God’s sight was his character.

The greatest lesson we can learn is that God is looking for the same kind of greatness in us. He doesn’t just focus on great, dramatic exploits of leadership—He is looking for genuine character.

A great responsibility

But this doesn’t mean that we are not to influence people. God expects us to have a positive influence on everyone we meet.

We are to do that by our personal examples (Matthew 5:13-16; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 2:15). Living our lives in a way that brings honor to God and His way of life is one of the greatest ways we can demonstrate greatness.

Our names probably won’t make the history books, and it’s highly unlikely any of us will ever be Time magazine’s Person of the Year. But that’s okay! God has given us a miraculous calling to a life of greatness—a life of building righteous character, demonstrating that character to the world through our example and ultimately leading others in God’s Kingdom.

It doesn’t get greater than that!

To learn more about the great future God has in store for you, read our article “Children of God.”