“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

   - Matthew 11.11

Though the kings of the world are great to you who look [upon them],
a hundred hundred times loftier are the humble hirelings of Jesus.

   - Oengus mac Oengobann, Féilire Oengusso, Irish, 9th century

Kingdom greatness is not measured in terms of material wealth or beauty, physical strength or prowess, tactical or strategic success, or persuasive oratory or impressive good works.

The greatness of those who seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is spiritual in nature, deriving from the indwelling Spirit of God and manifest in forms of goodness, beauty, and truth that refract the very character of Jesus Christ.

To be great in the Kingdom is to be like Jesus, a servant, one who lays down his life in order to elevate and edify others. The greatness which issues from the life of the humblest believer is more powerful and enduring than all the force of arms or investment of wealth the world can muster. For Kingdom greatness witnesses to transcendent realities and expresses eternal verities that no human greatness can ever achieve.

Such greatness is available to even the humblest servant of Christ, the least of all the citizens of the Kingdom of God. It comes to light in everyday ways, making “ordinary” activities extraordinary manifestations of the Kingdom which is not of this world.

For in our weaknesses, we are strong; in our inadequacies, we have all things; in our losses, we gain the world; and in our humility, we are exalted to the very throne of grace and power. To be great in the Kingdom is the calling of every believer, and every day of our lives is fraught with opportunities to realize this high calling.

You can be great, and greater still, as you rest in the indwelling Spirit and unfailing Word of God (Eph. 3.20; 2 Tim. 3.15-17). Even your most mundane, seemingly insignificant activities can gleam and glow with the luster of God’s eternal glory (1 Cor. 10.31).

Today, how will the glimmer of God’s glory, the luminescence of His love, or the transforming touch of His Spirit manifest the greatness of His Kingdom in you?

Psalm 118.14-18 (Windsor: “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”)
In the Savior we are strong! He is all our strength and song!
To His grace now raise your voice; in His righteousness rejoice!
For the Lord does valiantly; we shall live eternally.
Praise His works with all your breath, you whom He redeems from death.

Me, Lord? Glow with Your glory? In my ordinary life show the extraordinary reality of the Kingdom not of this world? Oh, Lord, if so, let it be! Amen and amen!