In the Old Testament there was a group of people who wanted fame. They wanted nothing more than to make a name for themselves, and they decided the way to do this was to build a giant tower. In Genesis 11:4, they say “Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves...”
Isn’t this exactly what we so often do? We do whatever we can to make a name for ourselves. We try to get tons of friends on facebook, followers on twitter, or likes on instagram. But, why? Because we want people to be impressed with us. This is called “pride.” Pride the feelings you get when you do something good. So you feel prideful because you feel popular if people follow you or like your stuff. You might feel pride if you are the prettiest girl in the school. You might feel pride if you get paid more than your co-workers.
When I was growing up, I had dreams of being famous. My dreams meant I would be a famous basketball player. I dreamed of the day I would run out onto the court as the announcer called out my name. Maybe for you, you have similar dreams. Maybe you dream of being a famous actor, athlete, or writer. There’s nothing wrong with those dreams, but I want to challenge you to make it an even greater priority to pursue making Jesus famous. I’m not saying not to pursue your basketball career or writing, but in the midst of those make your goal to make Jesus famous, not yourself.
HE > ME
When Jesus first comes on the ministry scene, he’s not the big deal in town. In fact, there’s a guy by the name of John who is baptizing a bunch of people and has gotten quite the following. As Jesus‘ following grows, John is questioned about what he thinks about all this. In John 3:26, some of John’s disciples ask, “that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan - the one you testified about - well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
John responds with an answer that I think should guide the way we live our lives. John says, “He must become greater; I must become less.”
Nowhere in our world will somebody tell you that you should pursue becoming less of a big deal. But John is pursing this. He has no problem that he is becoming less of a big deal because in his case that means that Jesus is becoming more of a big deal. What would your life look like if you lived in a way that everything you did was so that Jesus might become a bigger deal?
“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:3
In everything you do, you can glorify God. When you go to school, live in a way that makes a big deal of Jesus. Let your choices be guided by making Jesus a big deal. When you hang out with your friends, glorify God. When you are with your family, make Jesus a big deal. When you are playing video games, glorify God.