Devotion for the week of March 5, 2007

Baseball season has not even begun yet, yet I'm following the movement of football players between teams. This is has to do with watching my players for this coming fantasy football session. Trying to get the jump on the others in my fantasy league and figure out who are going to be the great players this year. And as I do this, I ask myself, what makes a person truly great?

Wow, now I’ve gone and done it - I’ve asked myself a philosophical, ethical and spiritual question.

We certainly have a lot of sports and activities in our society to help us find out who is the greatest. We defiantly live in a competitive world and my family can certainly tell you about the ways I am competitive. But does being competitive and winning make a person truly great?

Probably not. Jesus does, however, give us some important characteristics that do make us truly great.

We all love happy endings. I remember hearing a story about Hollywood producer Sam Goldwyn. He once listened to director Billy Wilder describe in detail the true life story of a famous artist. Wilder thought it would make a great movie.

"Does it end happy?" Goldwyn wanted to know.
"Well," said Wilder, "it winds up with the guy in an insane asylum thinking he's a horse."

Goldwyn threw Wilder out the door. But Wilder wasn't discouraged. He poked his head back in and said, "Okay, how about if at the end the guy who thinks he's a horse . . . goes on to win the Kentucky Derby."

We love it when the good guy comes out on top. And being a servant is a lot like coming out on top at the end of a good movie. A servant will have lots of hardships, work hard behind the scenes, and little recognition, but in the end a true servant will be rewarded by being the greatest in the sight of God. Jesus is truly the greatest servant and we should strive to be more like him. Then we too will be great.

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. (II Timothy 2:24-25)