In the Pursuit of Great, We Failed to Do Good

Within the human soul is the desire to be great, to be on top of some earthly measure of success, superior to all others. We want to be normal, but we are not content with being ordinary.

We want to be the greatest coach, truck driver, parent, football player, scientist, teacher, mechanic, or pastor. Even in the spiritual realm, we bleed pride.

“Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, ‘This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world’” (Genesis 10:8-9 NLT). Or in my dreams, this man is like Jack Selcher, the greatest fisherman in the world!

It might be as mundane as making the best macaroni salad ever. Being the best at something would set us apart as special people worthy of recognition, applause, praise, love, and glory.

We imagine that people we will never meet will remember us after we have passed from this earth. But the truth is that the greatness itch is harder to scratch than inventing a practical fusion energy source.

We readily deceive ourselves. In a world of 8.2 billion people, the chances our macaroni salad or anything else about us is truly the greatest is vanishingly small. In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.

Instead of pursuing earthly greatness, we are wise if we channel our energy into obeying the greatest commandment and fulfilling our purpose of loving God and people (Matthew 22:37-39).  What do people associate with our names? Probably, it is a mixed bag with some eggshells in what we see as solely world-class muffins.

Abraham Lincoln has always been my favorite President of the United States. He freed the slaves, preserved democracy, and held the Union together. His Gettysburg Address will be remembered forever in American history, even if you can’t recall all the words.

Recently, I read And There Was Light by John Mecham and learned about some of the blemishes on his Presidential face. For example, I didn’t know he opposed Black citizenship and considered their race inferior.

Even the greatest among us have moral pimples and pockmarks. Our feet smell, and our breath and opinions sometimes stink! We aren’t worthy of others’ unqualified esteem.

So, if we give up our quest for earthly greatness, where do we turn for meaning? By being entirely trustworthy and good, we make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way (Titus 2:10 NLT).

Our job is to shine the spotlight on Jesus. Instead of trying to make ourselves beautiful in every possible way for earthly glory, we live virtuous lives, mostly free from the glory-virus, to make the teaching of God our Savior winsome to others.

They might say something like, “Jack was such a jerk years ago. He is still sometimes, but somehow, he is much better than he used to be. That religious stuff he is into could have made the difference. I admit, I am curious about it.” That is how we make the teaching of God our Savior attractive. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.

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God has empowered me to write “His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength.” It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship eBook. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 4,706 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 12,079 people. I invite you to explore it.

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