The greatest person who ever lived!
On June 10th three celebrations took
place, two in London and the other in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. The Duke of
Edinburgh’s 95th low-key birthday celebration occurred on the same
day as his wife’s Official 90th Birthday. Over in the States a
different event took place; the funeral of Muhammad Ali who died aged 74 years.
Queen Elizabeth II had three consecutive days of celebrations beginning with a Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s
Cathedral. The following day as Colonel in Chief of the five Household
Cavalry Regiments, she took the march-past at the Trooping of the Colour
ceremony at Buckingham Palace. This pageant is believed to have taken place
from the reign of Charles 11.
On Sunday 12th a street party called "The Patron’s Lunch" was held in The Mall where 10,000
people paid £150.00 each to attend. The attendees were mainly from the 600 plus
charities that the Queen is Patron of, and the rest from the general public. Rain in the morning did not deter the well-wishers as they showed
affection and loyalty to Her Majesty. The rain ceased in time for the final
electric festival themed atmosphere of choriographed entertainment produced by
members of the charities and organisations that the the Monarch supports.
Whatever one’s views
are about individual members of the Royal family, it would be most uncharitable
to deny what the Queen has done for the country during her long reign. One
celebrity said, “She has been the glue in our nation”, she has managed to
maintain peace in a multi-cultural nation through many changes over the years.
For me to say that
Elizabeth II has been England’s greatest Monarch would be
speculative. She is positively better than bloody Queen Mary who was notorious
for burning many Protestant Christians at the stake. At Lewes in Sussex, six
men and four women were burned at the same time, eighteen in all died in the
flames, for their faith. That queen would have met her Maker, guilty of the
blood of many martyrs who were burned at the stake during her reign. The Bible
records the history of good kings and those that did evil, nothing is hid, all
is revealed, there can be no cover up with God!
Muhammad Ali was never in doubt as to who he thought was
the greatest boxer in his day. “I’m the greatest,” he shouted loud and clear,
“I dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee” he told his opponents among many other outlandish
boastings. He said that he could switch the light off at the wall switch and be
in bed before the room got dark! He must have had a dimmer switch with an
effective delay, he was quick, but not that quick? He could talk the talk and
he could fight the fight, but sadly it was finally Parkinson’s disease that put
his light out, to go and meet his Maker, the Greatest of all.
Before John the
Baptist was born it was said of him in Luke 1. 15, “For he shall be great
in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” That
is where true greatnes is, it is in the sight of the Lord, not in man’s
assessment or approval, but God’s. In Luke 7. 28 Jesus said, “For I say
unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet
than John the Baptist.” That was an appraisal of the highest order, not
some give-away title in a birthday honours list, but recognition of a life in
the service of preaching the gospel and pointing men and women to Christ. He
proclaimed in Matt. 3. 2, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
Jesus preached the same in the next chapter. Men and women in that day were
called upon to examine their lives in the sight of God, to confess their sin and
to turn away from it, that is what repentance is, it is saying sorry to God and
asking His forgiveness. Have you done that? If not, why not quietly get alone
with God and tell Him about your sin.
The ultimate in
greatness is seen in Christ, Paul said in Titus 2. 13, “Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ.” Luke records in
chapter 1 verse 32, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.”
People today despise Him, they use His name as a swear word to curse anyone or anything.
The amazing thing is that God would forgive such people with a foul tongue and
give them the greatest possession a person could have, eternal life. He did
that for me, not only cleansed my mouth but all the sin of my life and made me
a child of God, a new creation in Christ Jesus.
Looking at creation
we see variety, vastness and beauty, all made by Him, John says in chapter 1 verse 3, “All
things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made”. In Psalm chapter 33 verse 9 we read, “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and
it stood fast.” The whole creation was brought into being by the spoken
word of the Son of God,the Son of the Highest, now that is greatness. When
Jesus died on the cross He said, “It is finished”, He was saying
that all the work required by God to redeem sinners back to Himself has been
completed. Creation and Redemption could
only be done by the greatest being, the Son of God, the Saviour of the World.
Paul said in
1st Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these
three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ secures salvation for those who call upon Him. He gives eternal life and
the most glorious hope that anyone could have, but better still He plants a
love in the believing heart that is the greatest possession a person could
have.
Have you got faith
in the greatest person? A living hope for the great eternity? And the love of
God in heart and soul?
John chapter 15 verse 13 says, “Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I
command you.”
God bless.
God bless.
Written for FTMP by a Guest Blogger
To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk
This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.
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