How to be great in the eyes of God

Hello and welcome to The Prophetic Voice. I'm your host, Ken Bailey. In a world full of lies and propaganda, it can be difficult to determine who is telling you the truth. Perhaps you're looking for a place where you can hear a voice of truth, someone whom God is speaking to. You come to the right place. It's our mission to share with you the truth of God's word and the prophetic insights that God has given to me. to help you navigate life in these last days before the return of Jesus Christ. In today's episode, number seven, I'll be answering the question, how can you become great in the eyes of God? As we dive into this topic, let's see what God has told us in the scriptures and what the Lord has revealed to me to share with you. At times, we'll also incorporate insights from other leaders in the Christian community. So whether you're a long-time listener, or a new follower, we're grateful that you've chosen to join us today. Let's tune in and listen to the prophetic voice. Well, I have an important message I wanna share with you today. In fact, it could change your life. How can you become great in the eyes of God? I want you to give the Lord your total focus as you listen to this message. Did you know that you can become one of the greatest people on the earth today? I mean that out of the 8 billion people in the world, you could become one of the greatest people who's walking on the earth right now. I can already hear you saying, but Ken, you don't know who I am. I'm a nobody from some town. Nobody knows me. I'm not a politician, an actor, an actress, a celebrity or a sports star. I'll never be famous or a celebrity. The world doesn't even know I exist. I hear what you're saying, but what I said is still true. You can become one of the greatest people that lives on the earth right now. So let's talk about that. Here's how. You simply have to do what Jesus said to do to become great in the eyes of his father, God. If you have a Bible or a phone app, I want you to get it out and let's take a look at Luke chapter 22. Go to Luke 22, and we're gonna read verses 24 through 27. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest. and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves." So Jesus' disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest. And Jesus said, if you wanna be great in the eyes of God, you've gotta humble yourself and serve others. He was a servant. while he was on the earth. Let's look at another set of scriptures. Move over to Mark chapter 10. We're gonna look at verses 42 through 45. Mark 10, beginning in verse 42. Jesus called them together and said, "'You know that those who are regarded "'as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, "'and their high officials exercise authority over them. "'Not so with you.' Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all. For even a son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus was a servant. I can't believe what he did on the night before he went to the cross. I just can't wrap my mind around that. on the earth. And let's look at what he did. Turn to John chapter 13, John 13 verses four and five. So he got up from the meal and took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. And after that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Now skip down to verse 12. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "'Do you understand what I've done for you?' he asked them. "'You call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, "'for that is what I am. "'Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, "'you also should wash one another's feet.'" I've set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I just can't get my mind wrapped around that. Jesus got down on his knees and washed the disciples' feet. The Son of God humbled himself and washed their stinking feet. Why would he do that? And to do it the night before he would suffer all night long and be crucified the next day? I can't believe he did that. What kind of love and example has he set for us? You see, to be great in the eyes of God, you must humble yourself and serve others. At times, you must love the unlovely. And I know that's hard to do when you want to return evil with evil and the Lord says, love your enemies. But if you love God with all your heart and your soul, mind, and strength, you can become great. If you decide to give your life away, loving God and serving him and others, you will become great in the eyes of God. So you see, it's a choice. Whoever loves and serves the most is great in the eyes of God. I'm gonna say that again, that's a profound statement. Whoever loves and serves the most is great in the eyes of God. It doesn't matter what the world thinks or knows about you. You can be great in God's eyes, and that's what you should be after. Jesus proved how much He loved you and me when He laid down His life for us. The greatest act of love in the history of the world was done for you and me. I'm reminded of a story about a young private first class in the United States Army during the brutal fighting of World War II. In the midst of a skirmish, the unit had been forced to retreat due to heavy gunfire and was pinned down in the trenches. His best friend had been hit in the exchange and the unit retreated so fast he was left behind lying in the field. The young soldier could see his friend and began to climb out of the trench to get to him. The sergeant stopped him saying, son, your friend is gunshot. That means he's going to die. There's nothing you can do for him. And if you go out there, you'll die as well. We don't need to lose two soldiers today." The private looked his sergeant in the eye, set his jaw and scrambled out of the trench. Reaching his buddy, he took a bullet in the belly, but managed to pull his friend back to the trench. His buddy was dead. The sergeant looked at his friend, looked at the private and said, Your friend is dead and now you're going to die. Was it worth it? The young soldier looked down at his own wound. Then looked up and he said, sir, yes, sir, it was worth it. Because when I got there, my friend looked at me and said, I knew you would. Wow, I'm speechless. Oh what love that young soldier had for his friend. He laid down his life for him when he went and got him. What a powerful story from World War II. Oh, that I could live like that, that I could be like that, and lay my life down for others, that you could be like that, and give your life for others. Let's look at another passage of scripture. Let's go to John chapter 15. John 15, and we'll begin and just read verse 13. It says this. Greater love has no man than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. I want to read it again. Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. The young soldier did that for his buddy. I want to ask you a question. Will you lay down your life for your spouse if you have one, your family, for God, your friends, for the lost? Will you give away the rest of your life in loving people and serving them? You could be great if you lay down your life for the Lord. No greater love can you show Jesus than to lay down your life for Him. You could be great. It's a choice. Here's how you can be great. You can choose to love. I mean, love everyone you meet. Love everyone and you come in contact with each day. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength each day. You could love your neighbor as you love yourself. Wherever you live, work, or go to school is the place where God puts you. He puts you there to love and serving. If you do that, you'll truly be great. Don't seek to be famous or a celebrity. The celebrity status is fleeting. Fame is temporary. Did you think of Michael Jackson this morning? Abraham Lincoln? Who won the Super Bowl 30 years ago? Fame is fleeting. But loving and serving God and others is eternal. Your life can make a difference now and forever. And what really lasts is love. Love's eternal. So don't change, don't spend your life chasing after fame or fortune. Invest your life in loving and serving God and the people he brings into your life. That's how you'll be great, and that's what God created you to do. Let's look in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13 now. 1 Corinthians 13, just verse 13. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love. You see, the greatest thing in the world is love. God loved us and sent his son to die for our sins. And you can choose to love God in such a powerful way that you literally could make a big difference in this world. Students, you could walk into school today and love your classmates and teachers and your friends. You could encourage other people that are depressed. Those of you that are in school, you could go and sit and have lunch with that loner, that kid that you see in the cafeteria eating somewhere on campus each day all by themselves that has no friends and perhaps that others make fun of. You could make a difference in their life by going up and talking with them or sitting and having lunch with them. Oh, I encourage you to do that. You adults, you could love and encourage those you work with. You could write a note or send an email to someone and share an encouraging word with them. Perhaps you're at home. You could make phone calls or go and visit people, send emails to family and friends, and just be a light and encourage someone who's depressed or gone through a difficult time. Maybe they've lost a friend or family member that's passed away recently. Or they're... They're just very depressed, but you could go and make a difference in their lives. You could go and visit a widow or a widower or have them come over and eat at your home. Lately, I've been visiting the homes of widows and just going and spending time with them, sitting there. Sometimes I'm with the person that has dementia and they say the same thing over and over, sometimes four or five times during the visit that I'm with them. But I smile and I listen and I hug them. and love them and want to bless them. You can make a difference doing that. I want to challenge you to go and tell God how much you love him and show it by loving and serving everyone he brings across your path today and the rest of your life. You see, your life matters. This world needs you. All around you are these desperate, lonely people, broken people who need to be rescued. Someone out there needs you today, every day. In fact, you may hear someone whom you've loved and served say to you one day, with tears streaming down their face. I knew you would. Let's pray. Father, I thank you so much that you loved us and you came and you showed us that to be great in your sight is to love and to serve you and others. Lord, there's so many people out there that are depressed and think that their life doesn't count. It doesn't matter. And that they'll never be famous or a celebrity or a superstar. And Lord, those things don't matter. That's all fleeting, it's all passing away. I call it fated glory. So Lord help each of us to love and serve others and to make a difference with our lives by laying down our lives for others like the young soldier did in the story from World War II. He went out and rescued his buddy and it cost him his life. And you told us that If we hold on to our life and try to save it, we lose it. But if we lay down our life for you, Jesus, and for your kingdom, we save it. So Lord, I pray that all of those that are viewing or listening to this podcast would lay down their lives and so that they could become great in your sight and that their life would count now and for all eternity. God, you're in the rescue business, and you put us on the earth right now for such a time as this to go out and rescue the lost, the broken, the depressed, the suicidal. Lord, help us to get up each day and give our lives away in serving you and in serving others. We love you, Lord. You are so awesome. And Father God, I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.