An Opportunity for Greatness

What does it really mean to be great in the kingdom of God? As women Yah has given us a unique opportunity to experience what it means to be great in His kingdom. However, this position is not for the faint of heart or those who have not exercised themselves to endure till the end because it will cost you your life to achieve, but the reward of it is out of this world.

As I was painting the floor in my in-laws home I could hear part of this scripture in my head, “the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all”. Well of course I am always ecstatic when I hear the Father’s words echoing through my mind, but I didn’t realize how close to home that scripture was to where I am at this time in my life. It revolutionized how I viewed my role in the home.

Let me explain, I have been blessed not to have to work in the secular world since I married my husband in 2003. Instead, I became a home builder so to speak, one called to build a family instead of someone elses business. So after saying “I Do” I went from being independent woman to being a homemaker for my husband and stepchildren. It was the transition of a lifetime and though it was right where God wanted me to be it was an adjustment of going from being accountable only to God to now being accountable to my husband and three children who needed me. It was one thing to be a nutritional laboratory scientist as it related to finding out how to keep myself healthy, and something completely different to have to learn how to adjust that to now satisfying the palate of a family of four, complete with producing appropriate ratios. Now had that been my only challenge it might have been an easy win/win, but I quickly learned that stepping down from being one brick worker working in collaboration with a huge team of brick workers to build the empire of a company was a much easier position then building the empire of a family. My work position was like wearing a temporary hat eight hours a day five hours a week in which I could leave my work at the office, but family is a twenty four hour job in which you have to be on duty for at least sixteen hours a day and on call for the other eight. Nothing in my upbringing prepared me for this important evolution and I found out that my on the job training was a slow progress in the making.

Now, fast forward to my painting project which is years after homeschooling, I finally began to get a glimpse of what the Father was giving me. This understanding was right on time because as I begin to look at the things I always wanted and the things that I received let’s just say that after years of doing the same ole thing, but feeling as if my life was at a standstill and as though I was being punished or neglected in the trenches this word was dropped in my Spirit that revolutionized my view concerning how the Father felt about me and the mental torture I was going through at this juncture in my life. See you have to understand I didn’t just enter a blended family, but I entered a family that I wasn’t just a stepmom, but I was also the teacher and the counselor and at the time though I didn’t think about it until after they left the house time was continuing to tick, yet I had not had my own children which I desperately desired, and it didn’t dawn on me that the very energetic and vibrant man I married at the first was advancing his biological clock right along with me, and that the sixteen year gap between our age could put us at different places in our life and desires.

For the past year I felt trapped, trapped in this body that wasn’t working, trapped because here I want my husband to relive daddy days when he is ready to retire. I must say I am not happy about the thoughts that have pervaded my mind, but I will say that though resentful I affirmed to remain faithful to the process that the Father was taking me through, and this painting project was the moment that revitalized my hope. It was this scriptural phrase that didn’t change my circumstances, but changed my outlook. I took this extra long detour through my life because it was the necessary foundation to understand the main point of this article. What I couldn’t see was that Yah was preparing me to be great in his kingdom. So as I looked up that word in scripture the first one that came up in my search was Matthew 18:4 which says,

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 18:4)

Now keep in mind this is different from the phrase that I saw, but interesting because in His kingdom the “greatest” is the one who is humble. See the tendency when we see this scripture is to focus on the child, but the child is not the focal point because in this analogy he is clearly referencing a specific child as it says “as this little child”, thus Yahushah is focusing on the action of the child he is using as an example of what he wants. Yet at the same time he is also teaching another lesson, as a child is called to be subject to their parents, submitted to authority, having the least amount of control or influence over his circumstances and the direction his life will take, but has to submit himself to his parents, so likewise are we supposed to be submitted to Christ in like manner. A child’s circumstance makes him humble because he has to be completely submitted to others for his wellbeing. We see now why Moses was considered to be the meekest man during his time and how that mentality positioned him for greatness. (Num. 12:3)

Consider all the times that Moses made it clear he couldn’t do it without God, he wouldn’t bring God’s people into the land without him, he was completely dependent on Yah to keep the promise he made. In fact what caused him to not make it into the promised land is when he walked out of that and operated out of his flesh instead of staying in step with Yah. He allowed his emotions to carry him out of the will of God, and this is a mistake as women we are very guilty of making, but can cost us our destiny to be great in our Father’s house.

My study on this topic of the greatest was focused on the Gospels and the next scripture that came up was Mark 9:34-35, which says the following:

“But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mar 9:34-35)

So here we go, contrary to the heavy weight boxer who exemplified neither humility in his strength, nor saw himself as last in any category scripture paints a different picture concerning those who will be great in His kingdom which is unmatched and unparalleled to any temporary glory we may receive for our talents on earth, that if we desire to be greatest (first) in his kingdom then we must be last of all, and servant of all.

This was the opposite of what I was striving for, and in the loving way that only the Father by His Spirit can do, he corrected my thinking about my life, and helped me to see that it’s not about what I get out of life that makes me great in his kingdom, but about how I serve others in Him in this life that makes me great. I was being mentally tortured by the enemy thinking that God was punishing me for my past mistakes or that I was out of the will of God because I desired a godly thing, but was being denied this honor, when in reality he was grooming me for greatness. I have for a while been doing the right things for the wrong reasons, because it was based on a wrong premise. Asking God for things I wanted instead of asking him how I can serve him or to make me a better servant. Desiring to be first and foremost instead of embracing the opportunity he was giving me to be last so that I can lift others up in him.

Is this not why he told the Ephesian church he gave some to be Apostle’s, Prophet’s, Evangelist’s, Pastor’s, and Teacher’s? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body. Their role was to serve others not to be served. (Eph. 4:11-12) Contrary to the example we see in the Western church in which the flock is expected to serve the minister instead of the servant (which is the meaning of the word minister) feeding his flock. Amazingly we see in scripture where the disciples first fed the multitude before they ate, in our congregations the ministers are rushed to be fed before the masses. (Mar. 6:41) Servant’s (ministers) are rushed to be served before they serve, and with that in mind there is no wonder our flock has the mentality that God is our bellhop that we can command in His son’s name all sorts of things and act as if we should be able to get them. Because we are under the false allusion that our serving a man of God affords us the right to ask of God what we will and he must answer, rather than understand that we are called to serve God, trusting that as a good parent he will provide what we need and knows before we ask. Imagine if our children did to us what we do to God. If our children commanded us to do this or that what our response would be? We would teach them humility and that approach would open the door for such a lesson to take place with an appropriate rod.

Our role as women naturally puts us in the position to be greatest but the world’s definition has caused us to despise this position. In this hour it is vitally important that we get this lesson that he is preparing us for so that in the hour that it will be desperately needed we will fulfill our purpose. Are we ready to be the Harriet Tubman of the world or the Corrie Tin Boom of the world? Or are we looking for our reward where moth and rust does corrupt? Are we willing to make our robe in this world bloody standing for righteousness that we might receive the white robe that the Father has promised to His saints? As the woman was created last, and called to serve Adam, so now is the bride being called to do the same, but the natural picture hasn’t changed. Are we willing to humble ourselves to build His kingdom that bears his name, having no name of our own remaining or are we going to continue to fight for recognition by man which disqualifies our honor by Yah?

It’s a humbling position to say the least that requires that we die to ourselves, what we want, and what we think we deserve, and say not just with our head, but with our heart that we will lift others up without thought to ourselves because we know that he who we can’t see with our physical eye, sees us and is faithful to reward us for all we do in Him. Our God misses nothing, not a shred of hair unnoticed, or a tear lost.

So, will you take your opportunity for greatness? Will you dare to make your prayer life one where you ask the Father to show you, who you can serve today? Will you submit yourself under his hand not seeking recognition from the world, but seeking his will for your life? If so there is an opportunity for greatness available to you in which the riches of this world can’t compare.