For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:15-17).
To be great is the will of God for His children. One, because He is a great God. The child of a lion is a lion. Secondly, because He promised to make Abraham great. And all who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; Gal. 3:9). A close study of the life of John the Baptist in the light of the scriptures shows us some virtues a child of God who is aspiring to be great must have.
- You must be holy. “He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink” (Lk. 1:15). Without holiness, it is impossible to be great in the sight of the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
- You must be filled with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. Being great in the sight of the Lord is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord (Zec. 4:6).
- You must love to win souls and turn many back from unrighteousness so that they will become children of the living God. The salvation of souls is the primary concern on the heart of God and the person who is going to be great in His sight must share His passion (Acts 1:8).
- The person who will be great must spend time in the word of God. This is where inspiration and wisdom for greatness is acquired. The word of God will keep you holy, make you strong to fulfil the plan and purpose of God for your life (Ps. 1:1-3; Jos. 1:8).
- A person who is going to be great in the sight of God must spend good quality time in prayer. It is in the place of prayer you fellowship with God and receive His grace. It is this grace that makes a man great. Of the early apostles it was written, “with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33; Acts 4:31).
- A person that shall be great must be ready to suffer greatly. Greatness has its price. God spoke about Apostle Paul that “he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15, 16).
- The person who will be great must love God with all of his/her heart. This is the heart of the matter. For you to possess all the attributes I have enumerated above, your heart must be full of love for God. You love Him so much you do not want to allow anything in between you. You love Him so much you are ready to obey His voice 100%. You love Him so much you are willing to suffer for Him. This is the engine that drives a man to be great in the sight of God.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:37-40).
Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side (Ps. 71:21).
SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY
LUKE 1:1-17
FOR FURTHER STUDIES
GENESIS 12
PRAYER POINTS:
- Give thanks to God for the promise of greatness.
- Ask the Lord to make you great indeed.
- Ask the Lord to help you, in paying whatever price is required to be great, and to remain great.
Confession for Today: I shall be great in the sight of the Lord, for time and eternity.
Nations’ Watch: Pray for Qatar