Today at work I was told that I'm doing some "some things good, not great". What I heard was "you're doing a terrible job," and I must confess it did not feel good. I want to be great, not good, and I want other people to think I'm great.
I was so upset, that I donned my party hat and had a full blown pity party on the way home. I steamed and fumed and just as I was going to start throwing my arms in the air in the tantrum fist pump, I heard a faint whisper. And while it was hard to hear anything over my bass bumpin' party music, the words "no one is good but God" pierced the air and stopped the party faster than parents coming home early.
You may remember the story in Mark, where the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?". Before Jesus' answered his question, He asked one of His own: "Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." I don't believe the intent of this statement was to make us all feel badly about ourselves, to wallow in our muck and wrongly assume we can never grow out of where we are. To me, it seems like Jesus was simply pointing us to His Father. Is it possible that He was giving us a clue?
In 1 Samuel 30, we read the story of David who was "greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him," so he "strengthened himself in the Lord." What exactly does that look like? I have always imagined that it was a lot of positive self-talk, trying to talk myself into believing what I"m saying. I think I even wrote a song about that once. But what if that gobblygook doesn't really work, and that's not what David really did? In the Psalms, David did talk to himself, but here's what he said: "Why so downcast, o my soul? Put your hope in God!" He didn't say "Come on David, you're smart, you're good looking and doggone it, people like you. Pull yourself together!" He said "God is greater than what's going on here."
God told Jeremiah (9:23-24), "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom, or the strong boast of their strength, or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have understanding and know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight." Paul echoes the same sentiment in 2 Corinthians 12:9, which says "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me."
What if it's not about us being great, but rather about us belonging to a great God? What if we are "strengthened in the Lord" by declaring who He is over our situations and circumstances? What if His being great is good enough? While His greatness does not provide us an excuse to remain lazy and mediocre, it covers and empowers us to show His glory. And isn't that what it's all about anyway? "No one is good but One, that is, God."
"Who is so great a God as our God?" ~Ps. 77:13b
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