Playing the Part
I listened to part two of Andy Stanley and Clay Scroggin's sermon series titled, "I want to be great." Part two is titled, Playing the Part.
As I said in my last post, you can be great at something and still not be great!! Greatness is always a decision. It's a choice you make everyday! Greatness is when you realize you have an opportunity to leverage the needs of someone else for their benefit... and you do! Andy Stanley says that the challenge we face is that we have opportunities to be great, as Jesus defines it, but we talk ourselves out of them! We use our intelligence, our wealth, and even our responsibility to talk ourselves out of being great!
Luke 10:25 tells the parable of the good Samaritan. A man lie on the road, naked and beaten - left to die! A priest walked by and passed on the other side of the road. Then a Levite came along and again, passed him on the other side of the road. A Samaritan came, saw the man, and took pity upon on him! He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on his wounds, and took him to an inn. He offered to pay all costs for this stranger that he had never met! The priest and Levite had an opportunity to be great, but because of their stature and responsibilities, they talked themselves out of the opportunity! Like them, we are experts at convincing ourselves to not stop and get involved! The Samaritan, however, seized the opportunity!! He saw an opportunity to leverage the needs of someone else... not for his benefit - but theirs!!
Here's the question great people ask - this question has the power to move us beyond apathy! And it is simply this, "What can I do to help?" It's not asking, "How can I solve all of the problems or how can I fix everything that's going wrong?" If you ask these questions, you'll talk yourself out of greatness!
So, How can you help? Will you choose to be great, or miss the opportunity?
As I said in my last post, you can be great at something and still not be great!! Greatness is always a decision. It's a choice you make everyday! Greatness is when you realize you have an opportunity to leverage the needs of someone else for their benefit... and you do! Andy Stanley says that the challenge we face is that we have opportunities to be great, as Jesus defines it, but we talk ourselves out of them! We use our intelligence, our wealth, and even our responsibility to talk ourselves out of being great!
Luke 10:25 tells the parable of the good Samaritan. A man lie on the road, naked and beaten - left to die! A priest walked by and passed on the other side of the road. Then a Levite came along and again, passed him on the other side of the road. A Samaritan came, saw the man, and took pity upon on him! He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on his wounds, and took him to an inn. He offered to pay all costs for this stranger that he had never met! The priest and Levite had an opportunity to be great, but because of their stature and responsibilities, they talked themselves out of the opportunity! Like them, we are experts at convincing ourselves to not stop and get involved! The Samaritan, however, seized the opportunity!! He saw an opportunity to leverage the needs of someone else... not for his benefit - but theirs!!
Here's the question great people ask - this question has the power to move us beyond apathy! And it is simply this, "What can I do to help?" It's not asking, "How can I solve all of the problems or how can I fix everything that's going wrong?" If you ask these questions, you'll talk yourself out of greatness!
So, How can you help? Will you choose to be great, or miss the opportunity?
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