The Greatest Malaysian Christian

Looking Up To God
Wong Fook Meng (wfm75@pd.jaring.my), GCF ecommentary

"Who is the greatest Christian living in Malaysia today?". What will your answer be if this question is posed to you? My guess is that for most of us, we will be making mental lists of famous leaders, popular preachers,pastors of large thriving churches or some generous benefactors. But,when Jesus was asked "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", He replied with an astounding answer, "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven". As usual, He shatters our common notions of what constitute greatness and completed adjusts our perception of what is truly important in God's measurements.

I have to honestly admit that humility is not one of my favourite virtues though I personally do not have much to be proud of. Pride often rears its ugly head when I am at the receiving end of a harsh remark, poor service or bad road manners. There is something within me that seeks to let the whole world know how important I am and how I must not be ill-treated. But, the more serious form of pride is when I suspend my perception of God's greatness and view life as if I am the captain of my own destiny and God has no part in the driving centre of my life.

C.S. Lewis makes this poignant remark in Mere Christianity:

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which any people, except Christians, ever imagine they are guilty themselves...There is no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is pride or self conceit. Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

In God you come up with something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison- you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you."

When was the last time we pause to take an upward look and catch a glimpse of God's greatness? I wonder how "effective" our Sunday worship services are in bringing us close to the throne of God where we can see Him high and lifted up? Did we leave the worship services and enter the marketplace with a greater awareness of the attributes of our great God?If we have a right perspective of God's greatness,
it will radically change the way we view our bosses, peers, subordinates, competitors, big and small clients and the economic outlook. Some things which appear big will be cut down to size. Some things which appear small will be inflated to its true proportion.

It's time to look up to God. Then, we can look around us and within us with the right lenses.