Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Tired of Striving for Greatness? | Christmas | Luke 1:46-56

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Tim Minna Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. And I'm Patrick Miller. We're in the middle of our Christmas series right now. We're exploring the stories around Jesus's birth and the prophecies pointing forward to it. Regardless of when you grew up or whether you're a parent or not, you're probably familiar with veggie tales. Veggie tales are the videos that had vegetables teaching kids Bible lessons, and they were really good.

Starting point is 00:00:36 Veggie Tales was created by a company called Big Ideas, and it was led by a visionary Christian named Phil Visher. He tells the story in his book called Me, Myself, and Bob. Bob was the tomato. By the late 90s, Big Ideas wasn't doing really well. It was doing exceptionally well. Between 1996 and 1999, their yearly revenue grew from $1.3 million to $44 million. That's impressive. but by 2003, just four years later, they would be filing for bankruptcy.

Starting point is 00:01:11 That was impressive. What happened? Well, Phil Vischer reflected back on that question and he said, you might think it was their film Jonah that went way over budget, or maybe think it was the lawsuit they lost that cost him $11 million. They were part of the problem, but they weren't the main thing. According to Vischer, the main problem was that he wanted to be great. He wanted big ideas to be great.

Starting point is 00:01:34 him, I wanted to build the next Disney. See, Phil Vischer wanted to create a Christian version of Walt Disney and all that it encompassed. Now, that desire for greatness ultimately led him to make some bad business decisions all in the name of growth, and that ultimately led to the company coming crashing down. If you go to the bookstore, you'll find that Phil Vissor is not the only one who wants to be great. We're all obsessed with being great. Whether you shop online or in a physical store, you'll see that there are so many books that help you become a great leader, or build a great business, or have a great marriage, or build a greater following on social media. Aside from the fact that these books rarely work, they airbrush a dark reality.

Starting point is 00:02:19 You see, true greatness isn't about making yourself great, just like true power isn't about accumulating more power. Listen to these words of Mary, the mother of Jesus. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but have lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped to serve in Israel, a nation of former slaves, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors. Like I said, those are the words of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She sings them on a visit to her relative Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with a miracle child. His name was John the Baptist, and Mary knew what she was talking about. Mary was the definition of not great. She was poor. She lived in the

Starting point is 00:03:07 middle of nowhere, a small town that virtually no one had heard of. She had no social standing. She was pregnant out of wedlock. But the very fact that God chose her to be the mother of Jesus rewired her conception of herself and of reality. It helped her see things as they really are. You see, if God chose to fulfill his greatest promise through someone as lowly as her, this must mean that God works in ways we do not expect. Because we expect God to work through people who are great, people who are the best leaders with the biggest businesses, and they have the biggest platforms, the biggest bank accounts,

Starting point is 00:03:44 the biggest network, and the biggest following. But Mary sees that God works paradoxically through low people like herself. And precisely because she knows how unworthy she is, is, she cannot help but praise God. She says, my soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm, he has scattered those who are proud and their inmost thoughts.

Starting point is 00:04:27 Our culture is fixated on being great, but God fixes the world through the lowly. Our culture calls the thoughts of the proud vision, but God calls the humble to build his vision of heaven on earth. Our culture thinks the power to change the world is invested in thrones and in white houses, but God invests his power to change the world in the womb of a young peasant girl from Nazareth. Many biblical scholars have pointed out that this remarkable song sets the agenda for Luke's entire gospel. Jesus is the ultimate humble servant whose death brings about God's kingdom.

Starting point is 00:05:05 In his ministry, Jesus focuses on the lowly, the sinners, the weak, the social outcasts. He gives his most scathing critique to the elites and the power brokers. Perhaps even more importantly, this song connects Jesus' ministry to the great story of the Old Testament. This is a story about God working through the weak and the powerless. Abraham and Sarah, who could not have children, Israel enslaved in Egypt, David, a last born shepherd from a no-name family. God has worked through these kind of people, because when he does so, when he works through the weak and the lowly, it magnifies his glory. It makes it absolutely evident that he is at work. And equally so, because lowly people are not self-deluded. They know they need God. They know that a part

Starting point is 00:05:51 from God, they are lost. The simple truth is that oftentimes those who have the least by the world's standards have the most in terms of faith. And this takes us to the heart of how Mary's words connect to our lives. If you have a car, a place to live, if you can put food on the table and not have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, you must realize that you are among the wealthiest people in the world. We are in this nation, the powerful, the full, the elite. means we have this great risk. It's a risk that comes with having so much. It's a risk that comes with feeling like that we are in control of our own lives. We forget that we don't need God. We pray over meals, not because God gave it, but because that's what our family taught us to do.

Starting point is 00:06:42 We pray little outside of that, except in urgent situations, because we think we've got the ability to manage our own affairs. We can take care of our own problems. We are on the treadmill of greatness, trying to climb our way up the ladder and forgetting that according to God, the way up is down. Mary is throwing serious shade at the idealized American life, and we need to take her critique to heart. So today, reflect on these questions. Are you more obsessed with personal greatness than God's kingdom? Does your prayer life show that you see yourself as, capable of handling everything that's going on in your life. Do you believe that God can work out his amazing promises through ordinary people?

Starting point is 00:07:27 Or are you obsessed with celebrity and status and national politics? Remember Mary's words, My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. How good it is to be a servant of the Lord. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating.

Starting point is 00:07:52 That helps others find this podcast more easily. Also ask yourself who you could share this podcast with. Texting an episode to a friend or family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Tired of Striving for Greatness? | Christmas | Luke 1:46-56

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