The Pursuit of Greatness – The Law of Liberty (11)

The Pursuit of Greatness

The Law of Liberty (11)

“…but whoever does [the commandments] and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19

A popular business book these days carries the title, Good to Great. It guides good companies to become great ones—more productivity, better products and service, more revenue, a better standing in the world.

The book, of course, is a huge bestseller, because anyone who has a good business has had a taste of how exhilarating that can be. Naturally, therefore, he’d like to get from good to great, and this book is evidently helping many businesses to fulfill that desire.

Jesus said that the highest priority of every Christian is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Whatever else we do—make a living, raise a family, play sports, take care of the lawn, love our wives, vote in the next election—all this and everything else besides—must be accomplished within the overall framework of seeking the Kingdom of God.

Kingdom-seeking thus becomes a full-time calling that embraces and transforms every aspect of our lives. Once a believer starts to do that, and begins to realize how good, how truly good it is to live in the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit, he will understand that this is what life is all about (Rom. 14:17, 18).

And if we really taste the goodness of God and His Kingdom, we won’t be satisfied. Good is good, to be sure; but if it is possible to go from good to great in the Kingdom of God, most of us, I think, would want to move on to that higher plateau. Jesus said it is possible to go from good to great in the Kingdom. All you have to do is keep the Law of God and teach others to do so as well.

The Law of God, it seems, can liberate us for greatness in the Kingdom of God.

The psalmist says that the righteous person meditates day and night in God’s Law (Ps. 1). Would you like to get started in this discipline? Order a copy of The Ground for Christian Ethics and The Law of God. The first will explain the importance of God’s Law and will guide you in taking up the practice of daily reading and meditation. The second provides all the statutes, precepts, and rules of God’s Law organized under their proper number of the Ten Commandments.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.