“Have you seen a man skilled in his work? He will serve before Kings, he will not serve before obscure men.”
~ Proverbs 22:29.
We have been privileged in our generation to witness some of the greatest skilled talents in sporting history: Floyd Mayweather, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, etc.
Our parents talk about the all-time legends of their time: Muhammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Maradona, Pele, etc., but we have ours to talk about now, and their amazing achievements to back our speech. I know we can spend hours on the achievements of these people serving at the highest levels/platforms.
“Have you seen a man skilled in his work? He will serve before Kings, he will not serve before obscure men.”
~ Proverbs 22:29.
However, there’s something about the “GOAT debate” I want us to consider. Truth is, I find it so hard to sometimes listen to the “GOAT Debate!” And I’m not referring to the various preferences people have in choosing their Greatest of All-Time (GOAT) but the demeaning and denigrating comments made against their “rival GOAT.”
Eg. “Ronaldo nnim ball b) (translated: Ronaldo doesn’t know how to play football) OR Messi de3 w’asa (translated: Messi is not good enough).
In their expression of love for one great, they seem to be blinded by the greatness of all the others. I am sorry brethren, life isn’t lived that way as a believer. We must be careful not to have myopic views about the great things in life.
- Someone can be great at goal-scoring, and another can be great at playmaking.
- Someone can be great at hardworking and charisma, and another can be great at the pure skill and intellectual genius.
- Someone can be great at winning; another can be great at leadership and character.
Now, most likely your rival might be second/third in some categories, but it takes nothing from his greatness and great abilities God has given him! And you and I must recognise, appreciate, and bless God to witness these.
I really love music and listening to great musicians; I have my personal preference as to who is my great songwriter, producer, pianist, bassist, etc., but I enjoy the great work of all the others and learn from them also.
Now, this is where one of my greatest shocks comes from; Like I just can’t believe it (I cannot can)…
What shocks and hurts me most is when people who have perhaps not accomplished much or perhaps nothing in their own circle of life, pull down one great or the other. I just cannot wrap my head around it. Truth is, greatness recognises greatness.
If you are working hard on your gift/calling, you will recognise the great people who have gone ahead of you.
Perhaps you can say some mean words in a GOAT Debate because you’ve not yet gone through any great achievement yourself. If so, you would have known the diligence and work to which these people have committed; the pain of discipline, the pursuit of excellence, the challenges of leadership, etc.
Listen, the mere fact that we don’t compare “Ronaldo / Messi” with say “Kaka / Dede Ayew / Ronaldinho” (my personal all-time great footballer), is an indication of the mountain level they both stand; and they both deserve to be there.
“Have you seen a man skilled in his work? He will serve before Kings, he will not serve before obscure men.”
~ Proverbs 22:29.
Dear friend, the stories of all these greats should inspire us to work on our God-given abilities and talents, and hone them to world-class standards. I ask you, what will you be a GOAT of? What has God given you to do that you can master like these greats?
- If we don’t identify these and get to them, we will mostly be found in the marketplace idling, chit-chatting, criticising others and whiling away our lives (Read Matthew 20:1-18).
- And some, unfortunately, have made their lives to be full of constant criticism of others who are busily pursuing their purpose; brethren, this should not be (Read Matthew 11:16-25).
I ask you again, what will you be a GOAT of? What has God given you to do that you can master like these greats?
- Finally, I will leave you with the example of Jesus and John the Baptist.
- These two were both great men in their time! And they were both greatly used by God but in different ways of ministry.
- They were both unique individuals and the people of their day couldn’t figure them out.
- What amazes me most is how they both spoke recognised, spoke about, and honoured each other:
John spoke of Jesus and said: “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’ (John 1:29-30)
Jesus also spoke of John saying: “I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist!” (Matthew 11:11a)
Wooow! Such high praise and honour from one GOAT to the other. Can we learn from this and appreciate each other, and the uniqueness of our various gifts and callings? We complement each other; what is ‘lacking’ in one, is found in the other. The only GOAT that has it all, is JESUS!
Anytime two great people cannot co-exist, it is usually because of the actions and words of other people: family, followers and/or fans (Abraham and Lot story in Genesis 13:3-18; David and Saul story in 1 Samuel 18:6-8).
In your family, learn to appreciate all the great people. In your workplace, at Church, and at school, learn to appreciate great people.
- Don’t compare this child to the other, this parent to the other;
- Don’t compare this worship leader to another; this pastor/ministry to the other;
- Don’t compare this work supervisor to the other; this musician to the other.
You may have your preference, yes; but you can appreciate the great work of both or all, and you can certainly learn from them all on your own path to greatness. May you become the next GOAT of your generation!
“Have you seen a man skilled in his work? He will serve before Kings, he will not serve before obscure men.”
~ Proverbs 22:29.
Stay blessed and do share with others! (We’re 10 years in 2023 and we’re starting with a 60-Day Quiet Time Challenge; scroll down for details).
- Scripture readings: Proverbs 22:29; John 1:29-30; Matthew 11:11; Matthew 20:1-18; Matthew 11:16-25; Genesis 13:3-18; 1 Samuel 18:6-8).
- (Disclaimer: All images are not original by the author and were inserted from Google)
Dear friend, you may know who you are (Alex, Sandra, Efua the Doctor, Kwaku the Banker, etc.), and also what you will be a GOAT in, but do you know where you are going and have you bought your ticket? Can we say your journey on life’s train is heading to Heaven’s gates of glory?
You can make that decision and call on Jesus today. You must ask Jesus to come into your heart and life so that He gives you Heaven’s ticket stamp. You have to pray a prayer like this (below) and mean it from the bottom of your heart. Please friend, please put any pride aside and let us pray:
“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I thank you for dying on the cross to save me from sin and from hell. I repent of my sins and ask you to come into my life this day, come and be my Lord and saviour. Please write my name in your book of life; thank you that I have eternal life now. Amen”
Congratulations!! There is great rejoicing in heaven because of you. You are a new creation and you have your ticket to everlasting because of this choice! If you prayed this prayer for the first time, or you just re-dedicated your life to Christ, we would love to know you and help you on this new journey… Just click here and get in touch.
We recently just ended our 30-Day Quiet Time Challenge and we’re starting 2023 (which marks our 10th Anniversary) with a 60-Day Quiet Time Challenge.
We want to encourage you to join in as we reward you for keeping your spiritual fervour and zeal with your daily quiet time for the first 60 days of 2023. The first ten winners of the 60-Day Quiet Time challenge get to win amazing prizes! (See the flyers below and some images from the 30-Day Challenge winners).