Greatness

Greatness

God is almost unbelievably great. Man is almost unbelievably small. When a person imagines that he is quite the fellow, he deceives himself. He is far too high up.

This imagined greatness is followed by demands. Great people need much room, nice things, and corresponding honors. However, a “Tom Thumb” needs very little!!!

If you admit your lowliness, you love the truth. Whether you have exalted thoughts about yourself or not becomes clearly evident in daily life. You are a great person in your own estimation when you want to be taken into consideration. Then this could be fittingly acknowledged by addressing such people as, “Your Excellency!” This is ironic.

It is fitting to have very exalted thoughts about God and correspondingly incredibly small thoughts about ourselves.

As we decrease in our own estimation, we see God as increasingly great. God withdraws from us when we are strong and wise in our own eyes. God comes to our aid when we admit our weakness and our stupidity. “And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” 1 Cor. 8:2.

God can become everything in our nothingness. Even decreasing in ourselves (as John the Baptist said) is actually not good enough. Paul does not say that his self-life had decreased considerably but that it was no longer he who lived (Gal. 2:20)—in other words, not at all.

Rightly understood, there isn’t just much that is useless in us, there is nothing that is useful.

Our self-life always stands in the way of a harmonious life of fellowship in the church. Just a little bit of conceit, a little bit of self-will, a little bit of stubbornness is sufficient to disturb the harmony! Only a little bit of greatness in our own estimation is the cause of a deep rift in fellowship.

The least amount of demanding has the effect of fumes from the abyss.

It is absolutely terrible when you notice even an insignificant amount of self-consciousness (Here I am!). However, it is blessed to notice God’s presence, especially if it is so overwhelming that you do not even take note of the “I.” This is truly something to reach out for!

It is and remains very significant to consider Isaiah, Chapter 2 from verse 7, ff. It is one of the most informative passages of all! To see how God is consistently angry at everything that is great and exalted in this world!!! Believe it! Then you will be properly saved from worshiping things that are great in this world, even the natural wonders.

For example, large, tall trees are not bad in themselves—they are God’s work, after all—but people worship the creation instead of the Creator. This is insanity!

“For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15. This also applies to everything that is nice to look at, even to all the beautiful things to see. Isa. 2:16.1

The Lord alone shall be great, exalted, and beautiful to behold.

“Associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” Rom. 12:16. Be rather like babes! It is not for nothing that we have the word “megalomania”2 in our language.

When a person can even bring himself to protest against God’s Word, in other words to think that he is wiser and better than God, he is contaminated by the greatest degree of madness!

That which is really great and which can also become great in us is the virtues of Christ, the fruits of the Spirit, together with contributing to further them in people’s lives.