“GREA IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN”
“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven» (Matthew 5:19, NIV).
PEOPLE are willing to do practically anything to achieve fame and greatness, and the case of actor Jussie Smollett is a good example of that.
Smollett was part of the cast of the Empire series, and with the intent to increase his popularity he orchestrated an attack against himself. After several months of investigation, authorities concluded that Mr. Smollett had hired two individuals to physically attack him, and then he filed a report that a hate crime had been committed against him. He did all that to become more popular and thus launch his career further. And what did he achieve with that lie? Ironically, his fame decreased considerably and he was fired from the TV series.
Lies soon catch up with us; we can never get very far with them. In their zeal to achieve greatness, people end up becoming entangled «by their own words» (Proverbs 12:13, GNT). As the prophet Isaiah said, many of us “have made lies our refuge” (Isaiah 28:15, EHV).
Lies not only expose us to failure and shame on earth, but when we break the ninth commandment, which forbids us from lying, we also end up getting in trouble with heaven. As Jesus said, “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” But this is the promise: “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven» (Matthew 5:19, NIJ).
Yes, we can be great, we can be famous, we can be acknowledged in the kingdom of heaven. The road to true, genuine greatness is available to us, but only if and when we respect and keep the Lord’s commandments, never while transgressing them.
Your name might not have been in the news of any country, or even in the local newspaper; you might never trend on social media or be particularly popular in your area, but you can be «great in the kingdom of heaven.» How? Today’s verse answers that question: if you yourself obey the Lord’s commandments and teach them to others.
Would you like to achieve that kind of fame and greatness?
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Avineyda Hernandez