The true measure of greatness in the Kingdom of God is not personal achievement or brilliance. It cannot be, because any achievement of any significance for the Kingdom of God is done by God’s power at work through us. We are agents of God’s blessing, not the source. We only mediate what we have first been given. You cannot therefore boast about achievements in Christian service. The mark of greatness in the Kingdom of God is humility, because it is only in humility that we can receive from God. You cannot receive anything from God without a great sense of personal need for, and dependence on, him. And, if you do not receive from God, you have nothing to give and can do nothing of what God wants you to do in this world. Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul exposes the irony behind the pride of those who were challenging his authority. They boasted in their strengths and gifting, but it is precisely this that made them useless in the work of God. God doesn’t need your strength; he desires your weakness. He wants you to be dependent so that you can be a vessel for wielding his power. It is only by his power that anything of ultimate significance can be done in this world. Dependence and need are the true marks of greatness in the Kingdom of God.
Honestly and prayerfully consider your dependence upon God. Trust in God’s strength, not your own.
Read 1 Corinthians 4
