{"id":13167,"date":"2025-04-01T07:51:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T11:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=13167"},"modified":"2025-04-01T09:01:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T13:01:27","slug":"greatness-in-the-kingdom-of-god","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/greatness-in-the-kingdom-of-god","title":{"rendered":"GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;For he who is least among you all is the one who is great&#8221; (Luke 9:48 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus corrected His disciples\u2019 understanding of greatness. For they had been arguing about who among them was the greatest. Instead of rebuking them harshly, Jesus used a child as an illustration. In that culture, children had little status, yet Jesus declared that welcoming the lowly was equivalent to welcoming Him\u2014and ultimately, the Father. Then, He stated a paradox: true greatness in God\u2019s kingdom belongs to those who humble themselves, becoming least in the eyes of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This teaching flips worldly ambition upside down. While society values power, influence, and status, Jesus teaches that true greatness is found in humility, servanthood, and childlike dependence on God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we want to be great in God\u2019s kingdom, we must embrace humility. Instead of seeking recognition, we must serve others with hearts that desire God\u2019s approval, not man\u2019s. Today, let\u2019s look for opportunities to put others first\u2014whether by listening instead of speaking, encouraging someone in need, or serving in ways that may go unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are we willing to be \u201cleast\u201d so that Christ may be seen as great in our lives? Are we willing to humble ourselves, so that the Lord may lift us up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to realize true greatness by humbling ourselves before You. Teach us to serve others with joyful hearts, not seeking recognition but desiring to reflect Christ. May we find joy in putting others before ourselves, knowing that in Your kingdom, the least is the greatest. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2025-04-01 OYB Devotion #oneyearbible #dailydevotionalmessage  #bibleinayear\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2oNlWs2Oi6I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;For he who is least among you all is the one who is great&#8221; (Luke 9:48 ESV). Jesus corrected His disciples\u2019 understanding of greatness. For they had been arguing about who among them was the greatest. Instead of rebuking them harshly, Jesus used a child as an illustration. In that culture, children had little status,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1309],"scripture-chapter":[1342],"oyb_day":[1618],"location":[],"class_list":["post-13167","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-luke","scripture-chapter-1342","oyb_day-april-1"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/13167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13167"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13167"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13167"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=13167"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}