Standing At The Edge Of Greatness

I WAS WATCHING TELEVISION THE OTHER DAY AND I SAW A VERY INTERESTING RECRUITING COMMERCIAL THAT WAS BEING RUN BY THE USCG.

FOR EXAMPLE THERE IS ONE WHERE SOME YOUNG TEENAGERS ARE HIKING ALONG A RIVER BANK, AND ONE OF THEM DROPS HIS KNAPSACK INTO THE RIVER, IT FLOATS DOWN THE RIVER, AND THEN FALLS OFF A WATERFALL ABOUT A HUNDRED FEET. AT THAT MOMENT, ONE OF THE BOYS, WITH NO HESITATION WHAT SO EVER, JUMPS OFF THE CLIFF INTO THE WATER, THE SCENE FAST FORWARDS A FEW YEARS, AND NOW SHOWS THIS SAME YOUNG MAN, ON A RESCUE MISSION, JUMPING OUT OF A HELICOPTER, INTO THE OCEAN TO SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE. THEN THE COMMERCIAL SAY’S COAST GUARD, WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.

ANOTHER COMMERCIAL SHOWS A FAMILY FRANTICALLY TRYING TO GET TO SAFETY AS A VIOLENT STORM AND TORNADO IS APPROACHING THEIR HOUSE, IT’S SHOWS THEM LOOKING FOR THEIR YOUNG DAUGHTER WHO THEY CANNOT SEEM TO FIND, AND THEN THE FATHER LOOKS OUT INTO

THE YARD, AND SEES HER, STANDING IN THE FRONT YARD, JUST LOOKING AT AND FASCINATED BY THE APPROACHING STORM AND TORNADO, FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS, AND IT SHOWS THIS SAME YOUNG LADY, WORKING IN A HIGH TECH WEATHER TRACKING STATION, THEN IT SAYS, COAST GUARD, WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.

IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, I’D SAY THAT IN MAKING THOSE COMMERCIALS, THAT SOMEONE HAD BEEN READING THEIR BIBLE.

I SAY THIS BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELLS US, THAT IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. AND AS WE KNOW FROM THE GENESIS ACCOUNT, GOD WENT IN ORDER MAKING AND CREATING EVERYTHING THAT WAS NEEDED IN THE EARTH, BEFORE HE CREATED MAN.

AND ONE THING THAT HE DID THAT PARTICULARLY DRAWS MY ATTENTION IS IN GEN 1:12 WHEN THE EARTH BROUGHT FORTH GRASS AND THE HERB YEILDING SEED AFTER HIS KIND, AND THE TREE YIELDING FRUIT, WHOSE SEED WAS IN ITSELF, AFTER HIS KIND: AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD.

I SAY THAT THIS PASSAGE DREW MY ATTENTION BECAUSE IT IS HERE, WHERE WE GET TO SEE EXACTLY WHERE GREATNESS COMES FROM.

GOD BROUGHT FORTH HERBS, TREES, AND FRUIT, AND WITHIN THESE HERBS, TREES AND FRUIT, WERE SEEDS, AND THESE SEEDS, WERE NOTHING MORE THAN POTENTIAL.

WEBSTER’S DEFINES THE WORD POTENTIAL AS: SOMETHING THAT HAS POWER, SOMETHING THAT CAN, BUT HAS NOT YET COME INTO BEING, SOMETHING THAT IS POSSIBLE, BUT IS YET UNREALIZED, OR UNDEVELOPED.

THE SEED, IS POTENTIAL GREATNESS.

IF THE SEED NEVER REACHED IT’S POTENTIAL, WE COULD NEVER BE ABLE TO SAVOR THE SWEETNESS OF AN ORANGE, PINEAPPLE, OR A MANGO,

IF THE SEED, HAD NEVER REACHED IT’S POTENTIAL, WE COULD NEVER BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE MIGHTY OAK, OR REDWOOD TREES, OR SMELL THE SCENT OF A ROSE OR A HONEYSUCKLE, LILY .

IF THE SEED DID NOT REACH IT’S POTENTIAL, WE WOULD NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GREEN GRASS, AND WEEDS.

IF THE SEED HAD NOT REACHED IT’S POTENTIAL, WE WOULD NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GREENS, CARROTS, OR CORN.

GOD CREATED THESE THINGS TO ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL GREATNESS, IN THEIR DUE SEASONS BY THE CULTIVATION OF THEIR SEEDS, OR POTENTIAL.

AND GOD DID NOT JUST STOP THERE, HE APPLIED THIS SAME CONCEPT WHEN HE CREATED THE ANIMALS, AND I’M SO GLAD HE DID, BECAUSE IF GOD HAD NOT CREATED THE CHICKEN, HAD GOD NOT CREATED THE PIG, AMEN, COWS, AND FISH.

THANK GOD FOR HIS OMNIPOTENCE, TO KNOW, THAT THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER, THERE WOULD BE SOME FOLK WHO WOULD APPRECIATE HIS GOOD WORKS.

BUT, LOOKING AT THIS ACCOUNT OF CREATION, WE ALSO SEE THAT GOD APPLIED THIS EXACT SAME PRINCIPLE WHEN HE MADE MAN, VERSE 26 OF CHAPTER 1 SAYS AND GOD SAID, LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS,

NOW WATCH THIS, AFTER GOD SAID LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS, HE SAID AND LET THEM HAVE DOMINION OVER THE FISH OF THE SEA, AND OVER THE FOWL OF THE AIR, AND OVER THE CATTLE, AND OVER ALL THE EARTH, AND OVER EVERY CREEPING THING THAT CREEPETH UPON THE EARTH.

HERE GOD SPOKE FIRST, THE GREATNESS FULFILLED THAT MAN WAS TO ACHIEVE.

NOW IN GEN CHAPTER TWO VERSE 7 WATCH THIS CLOSELY NOW, IT SAY’S THAT THE LORD GOD FORMED MAN OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND, AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE; AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.

YOU SEE CHURCH, GOD SPOKE THE SCOPE AND MAGNITUDE OF YOUR GREATNESS, ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT HE PUT THE POTENTIAL OR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THAT GREATNESS ON THE INSIDE OF YOU WHEN HE BREATHED INTO YOU THE BREATH OF LIFE.

ECCLESIASTES 3 TELLS US: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.