Matthew 18 (ESV) 1At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”…10“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
1 John 2:16 reminds us that the World has precious little to offer anyone: a. The desires of the flesh (what I can physically experience), b. The desires of the eyes (delight in what things look like only on the surface), c. Pride in possessions (what I have, or do, or think I am in my own estimation or that of others). All three leave the person bankrupt. All three are purely temporal, fleeting, and have no lasting value of any kind. The 3rd one however speaks directly to our topic at hand. How many of us strive after reputation, standing, a name for ourselves in the eyes of others – or just in our own eyes? How many of us, if not openly, at least secretly, yearn for greatness in this life? It is a deadly desire.
