Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service and character.
William Arthur Ward
I have to confess something. I don’t usually read Forbes magazine, but I can’t keep myself from picking up the yearly edition where they announce their roll of billionaires. I like to check whether or not I made the list. I know it may surprise you, but I have yet to see my name alongside Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Before I became a Christian, I used to think that making the Forbes list was the ultimate sign of greatness. But, as we’ve discovered in these pages, God defines greatness quite differently. Just because the people on that list are great in the world’s eyes doesn’t mean they are great in God’s. Then again, they may be; but if they are, it has nothing to do with their financial success and everything to do with their willingness to humble themselves in service.
The good news for you and me is that we don’t have to be on the Forbes list to be great. (Making the cut would just be a bonus!) We can wake up every single morning and be extraordinary. We can go to bed every night knowing that we are partnering with God to make a difference in the world. That’s what I call “everyday greatness.” Though it may not get us written up in a magazine, it’s the most significant way we can use our lives. We will be great in God’s eyes, a blessing to the people around us and blessed abundantly in return.
Everyday Greatness
Now that The Greatness Principle is fully ingrained into your consciousness, I want to give you some practical ways that you can start blessing the people in your world right away. Remember, The Greatness Principle is not theory. It is foundational, biblical truth, and it will manifest blessing in the lives of others and in your own life as you commit to living it out. Here are seven ways to get started:
1. Encourage the people around you. Encouraging someone with your words is one of the simplest, yet most powerful ways you can be a blessing. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:29, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Here are a few practical ways you can use your words to serve those around you:
2. Help someone in need. You’ll begin seeing immediate ways to help people in need as you start practicing awareness. When you do, don’t cross to the other side of the road. Be willing to humble and inconvenience yourself in order to lift someone else up. As my friend Steve Sjogren says, “Small things done with great love will change the world.”
Helping others is contagious. By simply being quick to lend a hand to someone in need, you could spark a revolution. When someone sees you offering help, he or she is likely to do the same when the opportunity presents itself. Imagine the difference we could make if we all decided to help another person every day. Here are a few practical ways you can help the people around you:
3. Invite your friends to church. Inviting your friends who don’t know Jesus to church is a great act of service. While it takes a good dose of humility on your part, extending that invitation goes far beyond simply encouraging and helping in the grand scheme of blessing others. I know it’s much easier to invite your friends to a ball game or out to dinner than it is to invite them to come to church with you, but push through the intimidation and take that step of faith.
Here’s some news that might make things a little easier: statistics show that you are actually risking very little when you invite your friends to church. Around 50 percent of your unchurched friends will come with you the first time you ask. That percentage goes up substantially with a second, third, or fourth invitation. Believe me, you will not offend any of your friends by inviting them to church. Even if they say no, they will be touched that you cared enough to ask. And just think of what could happen if they say yes.
Colossians 4:5 tells us, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.” When you seize an opportunity to invite your friends to church, you are inviting them to a place where they can learn about their Creator and have their deepest needs met. What better way could there be to bless your friends than that?
4. Connect with your family. As I mentioned in chapter 6, greatness starts at home. Even though we may have the best of intentions for keeping our family members at the top of our priority list, all too often they slip toward the bottom when things get busy. We need to be intentional about blessing our family members every chance we get.
God considers honoring your relationship with your family so important that he addresses it in the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20:12, he says, “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” The first four of the Ten Commandments are about your relationship with God; the next six are about your relationships with other people. Interestingly, this one is the fifth commandment, which makes it the very first thing God addresses in the relational category. Not to mention, it is the only commandment that has a promise attached to it. God promises that if you honor your parents, you will live a long, full life.
While this commandment focuses specifically on honoring your mother and father, the point also applies to your spouse, children, brothers, sisters, and extended family. Our willingness to proactively bless our family members will create stronger family ties and be a great example to the rest of the world. Here are a few practical ways you can connect with your family right away:
5. Pray for your friends. Praying for your friends is a mighty way to bless them. As James tells us, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16). When you see a need in your friend’s life, praying about it may be the most helpful thing you can do. Pray and act; but even when you can’t act, always pray. Prayers truly make a difference. Here are a few ways you can start praying for your friends today:
6. Serve your city or town. Perhaps you’ve never thought about it much, but God has you living where you are for a specific reason. He wants you to impact your city or town in the unique way that only you can. Consider what Jeremiah writes: “Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you. . . . Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare” (Jer. 29:7).
As we’ve discussed, you and I are called to be a light—to shine in a way that reflects God’s glory for all to see. What we do in a church service or as a community of believers has little influence if we don’t step out and engage the area we call home. Bless your city or town by showing its inhabitants the gospel of Jesus Christ in action. Here are a few practical ways you can get started:
7. Attend your church. This one may surprise you, but attending church is critical to your ability to apply The Greatness Principle long term. Left to our own devices, we get lazy about serving others. Over time, selfishness creeps back in and we forget to shift our focus outward. Going to church keeps truth in front of us and encouragement around us, so we don’t slip away from embracing God’s best for our lives. As Scripture advises us, “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Heb. 10:25).
Whether you ever make the Forbes billionaire list, you can make the list of people who are mightily used by God to accomplish his purposes in this world. You can join the ranks of those greats who have focused their lives around a guiding principle and have found meaning and purpose in the process. You can be the one who shines the light of a great God for all to see as you glorify him by blessing others with excellence. When our limited time on earth is compared with the eternity we’ll spend with God in heaven, it’s easy to see which lists actually matter.
I almost forgot. There’s one more way God blesses you when you bless others; he blesses you with treasures in heaven. Jesus tells us in Matthew:
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt. 6:19–20)
When the day comes—and it will come—that your obituary runs in your local newspaper, all of the money, toys, accolades, power, and prestige that you gained on this earth will mean nothing. As far as you’re concerned, they’ll be gone. Only two things will remain—what you poured into other people, and the blessings that God will be continuing to pour out on you in return.
What is one thing you will do today or tomorrow to live out The Greatness Principle?