Jesus' Idea of Greatness - The Science of Being Great - Wallace Wattles

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Virginia, we are counting on you.

Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to raid the next election

and wield unchecked power for two more years.

But you can stop them by voting yes by April 21st.

Help put our elections back on a level playing field

and let voters decide not politicians.

Vote yes by April 21st.

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Use this idea of greatness.

In the 23rd chapter of Matthew,

Jesus makes a very plain distinction between true and false greatness

and also points out the one great danger to all who wish to become great,

the most insidious of temptations,

which almost avoid and fight unseasoningly

who desire to really climb in the world.

Speaking to the multitude and to his disciples,

he bits them beware of adopting the principle of the Pharisees.

He points out that while the Pharisees are just and righteous men,

honorable judges, true logivers and upright in their dealings with men,

they love the uppermost seats at feasts,

and greetings in the marketplace,

and to be called master, master.

And in comparison with this principle, he says,

he that will be great among you, let him serve.

The average person's idea of a great man,

rather than of one who serves,

is of one who succeeds in getting himself served.

He gets himself in a position to command men,

to exercise power over them,

making them obey his will.

The exercise of dominion over other people,

to most persons is a great thing.

Nothing seems to be sweeter to the selfish soul than this.

You will always find every selfish and undeveloped person

trying to dominate over others,

to exercise control over other men.

Savage men were known sooner placed upon the earth

than they began to enslave one another.

For ages, the struggle in war, diplomacy, politics, and government

has been aimed at the securing of control over other men.

Kings and princes have drenched the soil of the earth in blood and tears

in the effort to extend their dominions

and their power to rule more people.

The struggle of the business were today,

it the same as the one on the battlefields of Europe a century ago,

so far as the ruling principle is concerned.

Robert O. Ingersol could not understand,

why men like Rockefeller and Carnegie seek for more money

and make themselves slaves to the business struggle

when they already have more than they can possibly use?

He thought it a kind of madness and illustrated it as follows.

Supposed a man had 50,000 pairs of pants,

75,000 wests, 100,000 coats, and 150,000 neckties.

What would you think of him if he arose in the morning before light

and worked until it was dark every day, rain or shine,

in all kinds of weather merely to get another necktie?

But it is not a good simile.

The possession of neckties gives a man no power over other men

while the possession of dollars does.

Rockefeller, Carnegie, and other kind are not after dollars but power.

It is the principle of the Pharisee.

It is the struggle for the high place.

It develops able men, cunning men, resourceful men,

but not great men.

I want you to contrast these two ideas of greatness sharply in your mind.

He that will be great among you, let him serve.

Let me stand before the average American audience

and ask the name of the greatest American and the majority

will think of Abraham Lincoln.

And is this not because in Lincoln above all the other men

who have served us in public life,

we recognize the spirit of service.

Not civility, but service.

Lincoln was a great man because he knew how to be a great servant.

Napoleon, able, cold, selfish, seeking the high places,

was a brilliant man.

Lincoln was great. Napoleon was not.

The very moment you begin to advance and are recognized as one

who is doing things in a great way,

you will find yourself in danger.

The temptation to patronize, advise, or take upon yourself

the direction of other people's affairs is sometimes almost irresistible.

Avoid, however, the opposite danger falling into servility

or of completely throwing yourself away in the service of others.

To do this has been the idea of a great many people.

The completely self-sacrificing life has been thought

to be the Christ-like life because, as I think,

of a complete misconception of the character and teachings of Jesus.

I have explained this misconception in a little book

that I hope you may all sometime read, a new Christ.

Thousands of people imitating Jesus, as they suppose,

have belittled themselves and given up all else to go about doing good,

practicing an altruism that is really as morbid and as far from great

as the rankest selfishness.

The finer instincts, which respond to the cry of trouble or distress,

are not by any means all of you.

They are not necessarily the best part of you.

There are other things you must do besides helping the unfortunate,

although it is true, with a large part of the life and activities

of every great person, must be given to helping other people.

As you begin to advance, they will come to you.

Do not turn them away,

but do not make the fatal error of supposing

that the life of complete self-abnegation is the way of greatness.

To make another point here, let me refer to the fact

that Swedenborg's classification of fundamental motives

is exactly the same as that of Jesus.

He divides all men into two groups,

those who live in pure love,

and those who live in what he calls the love of ruling for the love of self.

It will be seen that this is exactly the same

as the lust for place and power of the Pharisees.

Swedenborg saw this selfish love of power as the cause of all sin.

It was the only evil desire of the human heart,

from which all other evil desires sprang.

Over against this, he places pure love.

He does not say love of God or love of man, but merely love.

Nearly all religionists make more of love and service to God

than they do of love and service to man.

But it is a fact that love to God is not sufficient

to save a man from the lust for power,

for some of the most ardent lovers of the deity

have been the worst of tyrants.

Lovers of God are often tyrants,

and lovers of man are often meddlesome and officious.

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Visit amika.com and get a quote today.

Springtime is almost here,

and if you've been itching to redo every room in your home,

Bob's Discount furniture can help.

When you shop at Bob's, you get well-worthy

low prices on fabulous furniture for every room.

Everything from stylish mid-century dining sets

and top-rated Bobo-pedic mattresses

with the best warranties in the business

to pop up sleeper sectionals all for a fraction of what they cost elsewhere.

So, stop inner shop online

and get well-worthy pieces for less.

Only at Bob's.

President Barack Obama.

Virginia, we are counting on you.

Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress

to raid the next election

and wield unchecked power for two more years.

But you can stop them by voting yes by April 21st.

Help put our elections back on a level playing field

and let voters decide not politicians.

Vote yes by April 21st.

Paid for by Virginians for fair elections.