jodyearley.com

The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God’s name! Yes! The King of Israel!

Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it: No fear, Daughter Zion: See how your king comes, riding a donkey’s colt. The disciples didn’t notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.

John 12:12-16

Today we started a new series entitled “HUSH” at People’s Church. Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent”. Our words are very important. So to keep in theme with our current series I thought I would share seven sayings that remind us that sometimes the smartest thing we can say is nothing. 

1. “Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” - Robert Frost
2. “Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken.” - Orson Rega Card
3. “By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.” - Winston Churchill
4. “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” - Ambrose Bierce
5. “If you wouldn’t write it and sign it, don’t say it.” - Earl Wilson
6. “The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?” - King Solomon
7. “Never miss a good chance to shut up.” – Will Rogers

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Through his life he had many historical speeches and sermons includeing his I Have A Dream speech. Many would consider him a “great” man. I think deep down inside we all want to become men and women of greatness. Here is an excerpt from a sermon he preached addressing the issue of what it means to be great.

“And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.”

“And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”

Greatness is something that we can choose and not something that is chosen for us. I pray that through the grace of God that we would all choose to be people of greatness by following in the steps of Christ and serving others.

Awhile back Steven Furtick of Elevation Church posted a quote on twitter that read, “You’ve got to follow Jesus for yourself. But you can’t follow Jesus by yourself. Who’s got your back?”

In an interview of Rick Warren of Saddleback Church a months ago (via the catalyst podcast) he mentioned the importance of right relationships within ministry.

Rick Warren said, “To make it in ministry over the long haul you need four kinds of people in your life…”

Here are the four kinds of people he mentioned:

1. Mentors - The coaches. (Even Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods need coaches.)

2. Models - People who have come before you and are no longer alive, but have finished the race strong.

3. Partners - Co-workers and peers.

4. Friends - People that love you no matter what.

Do you have these four kinds of people in your life? Who’s got your back?

Listen to the entire Rick Warren interview here and follow Steven Furtick on twitter here.