How to be truly great

Willie Mays passed away recently.  We were reminded once again of his greatness on the baseball diamond, considered by some to be the greatest baseball player ever.  Tom Brady retired a season ago and is considered the greatest quarterback ever.  Michael Jordan is argued by many to be the greatest NBA player.  Our culture is replete with examples of individuals who have excelled in various ways.  Muhammed Ali even declared himself “the greatest.”  

For those who desire to achieve greatness, there must be a singular focus on their craft – whether that be ballet, painting, finance, sports or bodybuilding.  Malcom Gladwell wrote a book entitled, Outliers, in which he states that “ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”  The meaning is, in theory, very simple.  If you want to be great, elite or considered the best in your field or craft, you must practice it for 10,000 hours.

I would like to apply that to the passage from the sermon on Sunday.  Paul is concluding his letter to the church at Colossae (Colossians 4:7-18) and doesn’t call any of his fellow workers “the greatest.”  Instead, he calls them beloved and faithful.  And verse 12 stands out to me:  “…that you may stand perfect (mature, fully developed) and complete (fully assured, satisfied fully, persuaded) in all the will of God.” This isn’t a 10,000-hour achievement, but a lifelong pursuit.  A pursuit that finds its end (and beginning) in Christ Jesus.  And instead of the argument over whether one is the greatest (check in with James and John about that argument in Matthew 18:1-5, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-48, Luke 22:24-27), Jesus reverses the order.  It is the one that serves and is humble that becomes the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  

It is not achievement, but faithfulness that we see rewarded as our stewardship is judged.  Instead of the Hall of Greatness or Hall of Fame, the Bible has a Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.  Our goal is not achievement, but as Colossians 4:17 tells us, “Pay attention to (take heed) the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”  This will take a lifetime, so don’t be concerned about the clock or 10,000 hours; just be faithful day in and day out for the rest of your life.

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor