“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’” Matthew 18:1 NIV
In 1964 before his heavy weight title fight against Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, made his famous pronouncement, ‘I am the greatest.’ Backing up his claim he went on to defeat Liston by a TKO after six rounds. No one can deny Ali’s greatness in the ring throughout his career; retiring in 1981 with 56 wins, only 3 loses, and 3 world titles. Many consider him to be the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) at least in the boxing realm and that may indeed be true. Desiring to be the best in your sport, even considered great by working hard at it is an admirable endeavor, but be careful not to let pride get in the way.
Jesus’s disciples were eagerly waiting the Messianic kingdom He was about to bring into existence. They were also anxious about their role in the kingdom asking Jesus which of them would be the greatest. The disciples were concerned because certain ones were selected over others for specific tasks. They were more concerned with having prominence in the kingdom than what Jesus had assigned for them. They wanted to insure a favorable position, one that would meet their expectations. But they had it all wrong.
This became a teachable moment for the disciples and for us today. Jesus sat a little child before them and said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt.18:3-4) Jesus is saying entrance into the kingdom of God is not of our own works, but by the lowly position of simple faith in Him and that constitutes the greatest in the kingdom.
Let us not be prideful in our accomplishments here on earth but give the glory to God. Let us take the lowly position of childlike faith in accepting Jesus Christ as Lord, and be able to proclaim in the kingdom, ‘He is the greatest.’
Word for the Soul 