Rediscovering Greatness: A Divine Perspective
2 Kings 25:9
And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.
You know when society ceases to be, by when great men cease to be! So it was in these days of loss and captivity for Jerusalem. Here, a nation who had at once received Heaven’s advantage, now stares judgment in the face as they turned from the God of Israel whom they once served. How does a nation who received such favor from God so quickly lose that same favor? It is when greatness can no longer be found amongst its men! Our text reads “every great man’s house burnt he with fire”. They lost their stuff, because they first lost their greatness! However, real great men may lose their positions and possessions, but they should never lose their character; they should never lose that which made them great! It is not that they can’t, but it is that they should refuse to do so! Genuine champions for Christ value the price of their testimony and the significance of their influence too much to just give it all away in the heat of a moment. As I parallel what happened to Jerusalem in our text with what I see in America today, I am convinced more than ever that our society is crumbling beneath our feet for the lack of enough great men who are willing to pay the price needed to procure a future of freedom and prosperity for themselves and their families! Perhaps where our society has gone wrong is in re-defining “greatness”. When greatness should be defined as godliness, strength, nobility, character, honesty, humility, and integrity, it seems that our generation defines it as popularity, power, wealth, pride, and fame.
However, true greatness only comes when we humble ourselves before Almighty God, admitting that without Him, we can do nothing (see John 15:5), but that in Him we live, and move, and have our being (see Acts 17:28)! Indeed the only way up with God is down. What we need are some mighty men of valor, who will rise to the occasion and become mighty champions for God by dying to self and living in the power of Christ’s resurrection! When we learn to live unselfishly, giving our own lives for the enrichment and betterment of others, only then do we really learn how to live and leave a legacy that points others to the secret of our success, our Great example, the Lord Jesus Christ!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.
You know when society ceases to be, by when great men cease to be! So it was in these days of loss and captivity for Jerusalem. Here, a nation who had at once received Heaven’s advantage, now stares judgment in the face as they turned from the God of Israel whom they once served. How does a nation who received such favor from God so quickly lose that same favor? It is when greatness can no longer be found amongst its men! Our text reads “every great man’s house burnt he with fire”. They lost their stuff, because they first lost their greatness! However, real great men may lose their positions and possessions, but they should never lose their character; they should never lose that which made them great! It is not that they can’t, but it is that they should refuse to do so! Genuine champions for Christ value the price of their testimony and the significance of their influence too much to just give it all away in the heat of a moment. As I parallel what happened to Jerusalem in our text with what I see in America today, I am convinced more than ever that our society is crumbling beneath our feet for the lack of enough great men who are willing to pay the price needed to procure a future of freedom and prosperity for themselves and their families! Perhaps where our society has gone wrong is in re-defining “greatness”. When greatness should be defined as godliness, strength, nobility, character, honesty, humility, and integrity, it seems that our generation defines it as popularity, power, wealth, pride, and fame.
However, true greatness only comes when we humble ourselves before Almighty God, admitting that without Him, we can do nothing (see John 15:5), but that in Him we live, and move, and have our being (see Acts 17:28)! Indeed the only way up with God is down. What we need are some mighty men of valor, who will rise to the occasion and become mighty champions for God by dying to self and living in the power of Christ’s resurrection! When we learn to live unselfishly, giving our own lives for the enrichment and betterment of others, only then do we really learn how to live and leave a legacy that points others to the secret of our success, our Great example, the Lord Jesus Christ!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill