1st Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
[4] True greatness is also manifested by being kind, and being a lover of the truth. One of the important underlying characteristics of sheep is that they love truth. That is the reason why they hear The Master’s voice when He speaks, because they love truth. [5] True greatness is also manifested by the person being humble. Pride and haughtiness make a person look small, and there’s usually a great loss of respect and credibility in the eyes of the beholders.
Isaiah 14: 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most-High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
This leads us to our case study in greatness which is found in our opening passages. In that instance, the sons of Zebedee went privately to Jesus, behind the other disciples’ backs as it were, and they, with their mother, asked for the highest place in His kingdom, something that all of the disciples were secretly or openly cherishing.
Proverbs 16: 18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!